On this episode, we discuss how Bill McKibben lays out in his blog "The Crucial Years" the fact that advances in renewable energy technology and adoption are forming an "S-curve" where the slope of increase is moving sharply upwards, leading us into a future where the slope of decrease on reliance on fossil fuels will drop off just as sharply. Our goal now is to make these dueling curves meet in time to save ourselves from the worst of the climate catastrophe's effects.
Then, we take a serious scientific look at how to improve our ability to communicate via conversation, taking a page out of the (literal) book "The Laws of Connection" by David Robson to increase our awareness of the common pitfalls that keep us from making those all-important connections with our fellow human beings. All this and more on TMI for Friday, June 14, 2024 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
On this episode, we dissect the profit-driven machinations of Big Food (the grocery monopolies and fast food giants). While inflation is hitting us hard, these monolithic corporations blame supply chain issues, all while channeling massive profits into stock buybacks and dividends to make their shareholders rich at our expense.
Then, we look at Florida’s decision not to illuminate bridges with rainbow colors during Pride Month under the guise of patriotic "Freedom" color displays being mandated all summer. This is sparking citizen action, with locals taking matters into their own hands by projecting rainbow hues from the Main Street bridge in Jacksonville. Finally, a lawsuit is trying to make it harder for you to have your absentee ballot counted in the State of Wisconsin. All this and more on TMI for Friday, June 07, 2024 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
President Joe Biden's administration has taken numerous steps to fight monopoly power in the interest of the people, but at almost every turn, the White House Communications team refuses to comment on these positions and accomplishments, making it look like Biden is doing nothing for we, the people. The distinguished progressive Senator Russ Feingold lost re-election in 2010 with a similar "run away from your progressive bona fides" strategy - it might cost Biden similarly.
Next, leave it to the ABC Network of Australia, but they've broken down the exact carbon footprint differences between EVs and Internal Combustion Engine cars from manufacturing and materials, fuel/energy sourcing and use through their lifetime and finally into disposal - you'll be surprised at exactly how the two compare. All this and more on TMI for Friday, May 31, 2024 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
As England grapples with dangerously short supplies of essential medications, pharmacists raise their voices in urgent warning. We dive into the crisis, exploring why patients face immediate harm due to unavailability of crucial drugs. From life-saving treatments to everyday prescriptions, we look at how Big Pharma and Brexit have combined to cause this emergency.
Next, a recent study on Apple, Microsoft, and SpaceX shows that these top-tier tech corporations are losing senior talent due to return-to-office (RTO) mandates. The corporate world tries to hold onto its precious office real estate by claiming RTO is about productivity and preserving corporate culture, but their actions appear to be losing both. Finally, we look at how new findings on the collapse of the Earth's magnetic field roughly 600 million years ago in the Ediacaran Period - they point to how that helped complex oxygen-using life forms emerge. All this and more on TMI for Friday, May 24, 2024 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
THIS IS A REBROADCAST OF TMI for 5/10/2024
Today on TMI: John Fugelsang, host of "Tell Me Everything" on SiriusXM Channel 127 and proud co-founder of the Sexy Liberal Tour right here in Madison, Wisconsin twelve years ago talks to us about the return of the Tour to the Barrymore on Saturday, May 11, 2024, how Jesus was everything your stereotypical right-wing Christian loves to hate, and much more! Don't miss this amazing conversation!
Next, we dive deep into the clandestine world of oil markets, revealing how U.S. shale oil companies and OPEC engaged in a covert price-fixing scheme that reverberated across global economies, a collusion that fueled the sharp inflation surge of 2021-2022. Finally we look at Natural gas — the supposed “bridge fuel” to a cleaner future. But recent revelations from a congressional report have shattered the illusion. All this and more on TMI for Friday, May 17, 2024 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
Today on TMI: John Fugelsang, host of "Tell Me Everything" on SiriusXM Channel 127 and proud co-founder of the Sexy Liberal Tour right here in Madison, Wisconsin twelve years ago talks to us about the return of the Tour to the Barrymore on Saturday, May 11, 2024, how Jesus was everything your stereotypical right-wing Christian loves to hate, and much more! Don't miss this amazing conversation!
Next, we dive deep into the clandestine world of oil markets, revealing how U.S. shale oil companies and OPEC engaged in a covert price-fixing scheme that reverberated across global economies, a collusion that fueled the sharp inflation surge of 2021-2022. Finally we look at Natural gas — the supposed “bridge fuel” to a cleaner future. But recent revelations from a congressional report have shattered the illusion. All this and more on TMI for Friday, May 10, 2024 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
In a world teetering on the brink, why do some remain unfazed by impending doom? Delving into the human psyche we exploring the paradox of apathy and even reactionary anger in the face of global catastrophe. It's not just cognitive dissonance or existential fatigue, this process has been known as reactance. And despite that we have all the warning signs that we are entering the worst time period in over 1500 years, it has a chokehold on our ability to react as a society.
Then, meet the unsung heroes of neighborhood resilience! The Resident Owned Community cooperative housing model (championed by ROC USA) is winning legal battles against corporate giants, allowing ordinary residents to reclaim their housing and build a future where community triumphs over profit. Finally, we discuss the explosive congressional report that implicates oil magnates in a web of deception. All this and more on TMI for Friday, May 03, 2024 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
On today's episode of TMI, we find Louisiana's GOP lawmakers at a crossroads. The ongoing insurance crisis caused by devastating hurricanes has left homeowners at the mercy of companies that seemingly have none. Louisiana legislators are on track to repeal a consumer protection law adopted after Hurricane Katrina that stops homeowner insurance companies from canceling policies without good reason. The new proposals empower Republican Louisiana insurance commissioner Tim Temple to approve mass policy cancellations. Insurers would be allowed to cancel up to 5% of their policies each year as long as the policies aren't all in one parish, and 5% is NOT a hard cap; insurers can cancel as many policies as they want with approval from the Commissioner Temple. A provision in the legislation declares an insurer's cancellation plan a corporate "trade secret" not subject to Louisiana's Public Records Law, making them harder to fight against.
For a spot of contrast, we then turn to briefly look at the USA's first bullet train! Brightline West's $12 billion project promises to connect Los Angeles and Las Vegas in just over two hours. At speeds of up to 200 mph, this electric-powered airline-alternative fights climate change while transforming travel. Assuming this is a success, this could FINALLY give an irrefutable example of how to make climate-friendly rapid transport happen right here in the USA. All this and more on TMI for Friday, April 26, 2024 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
On today's TMI, we pull back the curtain on how public universities such as UCLA, founded on land grants and given billions in tax dollars, are joining the huge pharmaceutical companies in fighting to keep the prices of the drugs they developed out of reach of most Americans, despite the massive support given those research facilities BY the people to begin with.
Next, we reveal that if you plan on holding a political protest in Texas, Louisiana or Mississippi, you'll be on the hook if anyone attending breaks the law, all thanks to a ruling by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals that SCOTUS declined to review. Finally, we wrap up with the scientific discovery of a massive black hole right in our neighborhood - cosmologically, that is. All this and more on TMI for Friday, April 19, 2024 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
In this episode, we examine the parallels between the genocide in Gaza and the invasion in Ukraine, shedding light on how, despite having much in common, they are treated differently on the world stage. Then, we dive into the high-stakes battle between Big Oil and climate-conscious investment firms, and how the oil giants are trying to silence the dissent from within. All this and more on TMI for Friday, April 12, 2024 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
THIS IS A REBROADCAST OF THE EPISODE FROM FRIDAY, MARCH 29, 2024. ENJOY!
Today on TMI, we look at the tragedy of the Francis Scott Key Bridge Disaster that happened on Tuesday, reporting the facts that combat the conspiracy theories that immediately cropped up to confound our understanding of this horrible event. We go beyond the initial reports that crowded our airwaves and explore the underlying factors that contributed to the collision that toppled a mighty bridge, killed six people and closed a highly significant seaport.
Then, we shift gears to Argentina, focusing on the nation's troubled history with regards to the military dictatorship's violence against trans women. Despite years of accountability for the 30,000 "disappearances" that happened during the brutal military dictatorship there, this is the first time trans women have been heard from in the courtroom. Finally, we reveal how, in the face of 2023 being the hottest year in human history, it has been made clear that the ramping up of AI will consume obscene amounts of power, hamstringing any efforts made to combat climate change. All this and more on TMI for Friday, March 29, 2024 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
Today on TMI, we look at the tragedy of the Francis Scott Key Bridge Disaster that happened on Tuesday, reporting the facts that combat the conspiracy theories that immediately cropped up to confound our understanding of this horrible event. We go beyond the initial reports that crowded our airwaves and explore the underlying factors that contributed to the collision that toppled a mighty bridge, killed six people and closed a highly significant seaport.
Then, we shift gears to Argentina, focusing on the nation's troubled history with regards to the military dictatorship's violence against trans women. Despite years of accountability for the 30,000 "disappearances" that happened during the brutal military dictatorship there, this is the first time trans women have been heard from in the courtroom. Finally, we reveal how, in the face of 2023 being the hottest year in human history, it has been made clear that the ramping up of AI will consume obscene amounts of power, hamstringing any efforts made to combat climate change. All this and more on TMI for Friday, March 29, 2024 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
In this episode, we expose the treachery of "Fossil Fuel Democrats" as they brazenly join the efforts of GOP lawmakers to halt President Biden's pause on the expansion of liquid natural gas (LNG) projects. Beholden to the interests of big oil and gas corporations, these Dems tout themselves as champions of not only fossil-fuel based jobs, but even the climate, all while fighting the effort their own constituents are asking for to combat climate change.
Then, we see a glimmer of hope as recent FBI crime rate statistics reveal a continued downtrend in criminal activities across the nation. This might surprise you if you follow the news (or the claims made by many politicians, especially on the campaign trail), as the overwhelming majority of Americans seem to not realize it. Finally, we reveal a chilling specter — the rise of the Society for American Civic Renewal (SACR), a menacing force espousing Christian nationalist fascism. As we peel back the innocuous-looking layers of this extremist organization, we discover the true nature of intolerance, bigotry, and authoritarianism, and its designs on the foundations of our democracy. All this and more on TMI for Friday, March 22, 2024 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
Women's History Month isn't merely a month to increase awareness of women's historical accomplishments - it in itself IS a piece of women's history, being pioneered BY women. We give these brave historians their due and in so doing point towards the continuing struggle to have women's role in academia fully appreciated. Then, we discuss how microplastics have infiltrated the most intimate spaces of human biology, including every human placenta in a recent study. This, along with how microplastics have shown up in increasing frequency in human artery plaque, serves as a stark reminder of the pervasive impact of plastic pollution on our health and well-being.
Next, we explore the intricate dance of Earth's freshwater cycle, as a recent study illuminated the overwhelming strain it has been put under by human activity since the mid-20th century. Finally, we confront how February 2024 marked the ninth consecutive month of setting all-time record high temperatures. All this and more on TMI for Friday, March 15, 2024 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
A recent Wall Street Journal op-ed falsely claims that electric cars pollute worse than their gasoline-powered counterparts, comparing incomparable metrics to come with their their supposed data. Meanwhile, amidst the frozen expanses of Antarctica, a chilling new speed record is set in glacial fracturing, highlighting the alarming pace of climate change. This harrowing event serves as a stark reminder of the urgent need for global action to address environmental degradation and preserve our planet's delicate ecosystems.
Keeping focus on the realm of geology and human impact, we return to the ambitious effort to classify a new Anthropocene Epoch, only to find unexpected obstacles when the initiative faces a vote. Despite mounting evidence of humanity's profound influence on Earth's geological processes, the classification effort stalls, thanks to the complexities of scientific consensus. Then, Mike McCabe provides insight into the contrasting displays of courage exhibited by political figures like Mitch McConnell and Alexei Navalny, underscoring the moral imperatives within political leadership.
Finally, we wrap up with a fascinating historical discovery, uncovering a thousand-year-old astrolabe that reveals evidence of knowledge exchange between Muslim and Jewish scientists, offering a glimpse into the enduring legacy of intellectual collaboration across cultural boundaries. All this and more on TMI for Friday, March 08, 2024 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
At 22 million people, situated on what was once a mighty lake roughly 700 years ago well over a mile above sea level, Mexico City has a lot going against it when it comes to keeping its citizens' water supplies well-stocked. Add to that a long climate-crisis exacerbated drought, and there is no small chance that by June there may come a day when most of the city has no running water - a "day zero". We discuss.
Next, we look at the improvements made to the horrific gerrymandering that Wisconsin had been suffering under for all state legislature elections since 2012, and the difference it makes in having the lines moved. Finally, we look at Mike McCabe's post discussing how the people who are pressing for conformity in their fellow American citizens aren't just wrong headed - they are acting un-American! All this and more on TMI for Friday, March 01, 2024 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
Black History Month often gives us memes and reminders of how Black people have contributed to the United States that we know today, but it encompassess much more than we often get. Black history, properly understood, shows that Black people haven't merely "contributed", but that their lives and efforts have been FOUNDATIONAL to the nation and the world we know today, going back much further than just the end of the Civil War or even the first African slaves brought to the English settlement of Jamestown - they had been here earlier than that!
Next, we see that, from the perspective of satellites orbiting our world, the Earth has been getting notably greener in color over the past few decades. We go over how, counterintuitively, this isn't a good sign for our environment. Finally, Bill McKibben has posted how ESG investments are experiencing a backlash, but as he sees it, we will win in the end. Catch all of this and more on TMI for Friday, February 23, 2024 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
The Voting Rights Act has been the bane of racists in the United States since its inception, helping drive the Dixiecrats into the Republican Party some 60 years ago. It's no surprise, then, that the GOP and its allies have been attacking it relentlessly at every opportunity, and looking at the 2024 judicial calendar, we shine a light on four key ways that the VRA is in jeopardy this year.
Then, we go over how a Presidential memo just uncovered from the 1960s clearly outlines how long the highest office in the land has known about the dangers facing the world's climate. We look at all of this and more TMI for Friday, February 16, 2024 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
We look back as recently as 1964 in Black History and see drinking fountains marked "colored" and "whites", and tsk at such blatant symbols of racial oppression. But the times haven't changed as much as one might hope. People of color are frequently among the homeless that many cities attempt to banish by using zoning laws capriciously against churches who are trying to house and feed them. Worse, we see that laws against "nuisance" tenants in order to create "crime-free" communities are often adopted when people of color move into those places, forcing landlords to screen out or evict people of color, exacerbating the issue. Today's present becomes the Black History of tomorrow. We look at all of this and more TMI for Friday, February 09, 2024 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
On this episode, we welcome back Peter B. Collins, legendary talk radio host and media analyst, who goes over the state of the media that we are contending with in reporting on such topics as real voter suppression (NOT the MAGA "Stop the Steal" nonsense, which YouTube refuses to recognize is different), the war started by Putin in Ukraine, the continued genocide in Palestine that began well before October of 2023, and much, much more. Peter's own podcast archives have a true wealth of well-researched and sourced information at https://www.peterbcollins.com/ and we invite you to inform and enrich yourself by partaking of the bounty!
All this and more on TMI for Friday, February 02, 2024 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
The Illinois Petroleum Resource Board (IPRB) has been a gas tax-funded education and outreach program for 25 years, with a particular aim of providing science curriculum and professional development workshops for Illinois teachers. Nevermind that the information given is solely focused on making Big Oil look absolutely indispensable to the future of civilization, or even that Oklahoma, Kansas and Arkansas have similar petroleum-focused "educational" programs - that under-the-radar status is just what the IPRB likes. We expose them.
Then, we look at the culturally-pervasive myth of the "female shopaholic" and explore how the data and cultural context doesn't back up this sexist trope at all. Finally, we show how the management concept of Kanter's Law shows some hope for the ongoing COVID epidemic. All this and more on TMI for Friday, January 26, 2024 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
Some bubbles crash and leave nothing but ruin in their wake, while others, like the dot-com bubble that burst in 2000, leave behind many valuable things that can be used to propel other, new things forward. So, the question is, which type of bubble is AI, which is, by all definitions, a bubble just waiting to crash. We investigate.
Next, we look at the tragedy unfolding for dozens of vulnerable families in Madison as we speak, who are losing their housing due to the mismanagement of a corporate entity. Then we contrast that against a downtown Madison church, whose congregation has decided to use their mostly empty house of worship as housing for those who have nowhere to live, ignoring the temptation to cash in on the valuable real estate it sits on.
Finally, we tell you how octopus DNA is providing evidence that the Antarctic ice sheets are ready to collapse. All this and more on TMI for Friday, January 05, 2024 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
(This is a rebroadcast of the 1/12/2024 episode)
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez went to Washington hot to make change in a place devoted to preserving the capitalist status quo, often at the expense of everyone not rich enough to buy congressional influence. We look at how the combination of her rebuke from the powers that be and the fickleness of the more particular forces she wanted to represent pushed her away from continuing to fight for the ideals of the Green New Deal, even as it took flight internationally.
Then, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher is famous for fighting for First Amendment protected political speech... so long as you're wealthy enough to pay for it. That means that Big Oil has been quite successful in twisting that firm's speciality into a weapon against environmental protest. All this and more on TMI for Friday, January 19, 2024 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez went to Washington hot to make change in a place devoted to preserving the capitalist status quo, often at the expense of everyone not rich enough to buy congressional influence. We look at how the combination of her rebuke from the powers that be and the fickleness of the more particular forces she wanted to represent pushed her away from continuing to fight for the ideals of the Green New Deal, even as it took flight internationally.
Then, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher is famous for fighting for First Amendment protected political speech... so long as you're wealthy enough to pay for it. That means that Big Oil has been quite successful in twisting that firm's speciality into a weapon against environmental protest. All this and more on TMI for Friday, January 12, 2024 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
Ten years ago, Black Lives Matter was founded in response to the acquittal of George Zimmerman in shooting Trayvon Martin to death the year before, as well as the long history of the police and justice system failing to treat black lives with the same respect as others. The pressure caused by this rapidly growing movement forced police across the country to consider a new way to show that they took being held accountable seriously: the bodycam. In 2014, President Obama requested $263 Million in Federal funds be spent on equipping police with body camera technology. Finally, officers would know that they couldn't abuse their power without being called on it.
The next decade, we now know, told a different tale. When being implemented, one key factor was left entirely up to the police themselves: control of bodycam footage. Given the ability to see what their fellow officers were doing on the streets every day, the police by and large decided no one else needed to see that. At best, the public could see highly-edited, police friendly versions of what happened, and that was often long after any reasonable accountability could result from it. It is not a wild claim to say that had bodycam footage been publicly accessible, George Floyd might still be alive today. We devote this episode of TMI to this truly crucial topic: why we reach for silver bullet solutions when reforming those wielding the silver guns is the best way of enacting effective change. All this and more on TMI for Friday, December 29, 2023 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
If you live in Minnesota, you stand a decent chance of having heard of Nellie Stone Johnson, but otherwise this pioneering black woman, born in 1905, is likely a complete mystery to you. We'll correct that injustice as much as we are able, as Ms. Johnson was one of the most important figures in labor and civil rights - mostly as she saw no reason the two causes should ever be taken on separately.
Then, with the 28th UN Conference of the Parties (COP28) finished, we'll check in to see how climate activists from Greta Thunberg to Bill McKibben feel how it went:. Spoiler warning: they were NOT impressed. Finally, we get to the bottom of how the James Webb Space Telescope has been used to dive into Uranus, spreading open our understanding of this place that gets so misunderstood. All this and more on TMI for Friday, December 22, 2023 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
We've reported here on TMI on Eli Pariser's "Filter Bubble" concept since its debut in 2010 at his Ted talk: the idea that Google was selectively feeding results back to the user that the user agreed with, making it so that one person's search results were often vastly different than another's. Mr Pariser pointed out that by putting us all in these Filter Bubbles, we couldn't agree on what was even factual. A new article published in the PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences) journal, however, says that is all wrong when applied to social media giants like Facebook, where they aim to increase your focus and time spent there by enhancing the chance of you getting made angry by what you see. We examine these competing concepts.
Then, we go over how the media is gleefully playing up any and all minutiae of Trump's intentions for his second term except for one key part: how the Project 2025 plan that he's assimilated is catastrophic for any chance we have to keep the environment from completely collapsing.
Finally, we present an update to a story we went over a few weeks back, putting a spotlight on how the EV infrastructure promised by Biden's funding in 2021 is FINALLY starting to come to fruition. All this and more on TMI for Friday, December 15, 2023 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
We welcome Jonah Walters of Jacobin Magazine to discuss the new book he co-edited, "The Good Die Young - The Verdict on Henry Kissinger", and go over the broad influence Kissinger wove around the world in his over 100 years of life. You won't want to miss this, or the new book, which is available via https://jacobin.com/.
Then we expose how Jeff Bezos' donations to organizations fighting homelessness across the USA sets up a horrific contrast to his 400% larger investment in a company that will make the housing crisis here WORSE. Finally, we check in on Jessica Wildfire's OK Doomer, to find that she's compiled a truly useful list of what we need to keep our immune systems strong in the face of rampant disease. All this and more on TMI for Friday, December 08, 2023 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
BONUS! Check out THIS archive of TMI from 2014:Mike Crute, with his co-host Dom Salvia, run The Devil's Advocates Radio program on The Mic 92.1 FM here in Madison. It is designed to offer a place for differing points of view, and thanks to that managed to get an exclusive interview with GOP State Senator Dale Schultz, wherein Senator Schultz vehemently decried his own party's plan to suppress the vote.
But that's not the only way Dom and Crute have been fighting Scott Walker's campaign of silencing his opposition: by spontaneously joining in the Solidarity Sing Along once, Mike Crute (as well as Dom Salvia) were arrested. His defense attorney won his case on First Amendment grounds, clearing the way for many other arrested singers... but that story is not over yet. Listen in!
We'll have that and much more on TMI today at noon Central on WSUM 91.7FM in Madison, or streaming live via http://wsum.org/ and http://tmitmitmi.com/listen - tune in!
BONUS! Check out THIS archive of TMI from 2014:
TMI today is on fire! Joining us live in studio are two friends of the program we're proud to welcome back: John Fugelsang, frequent commentator on life's absurdities and former host of Current TV's Viewpoint, and Steve Horn, investigative journalist and research fellow at DeSmogBlog.
John always has great insights into how humanity seems to stumble into itself and even better suggestions on how to keep that from happening, and today we will talk about media and politics: how too often it seems the media seeks to divide and scare us of each other, rather than inform us about what's happening! John always gives great conversation, so don't miss it!
Steve will delve into the waters of Lake Michigan near Chicago to show us the latest on what exactly BP spilled there, and how much of it was released, and what kind of danger this may put the Windy City's drinking supply in. Then, he'll bring to light the energy export congressional hearings that happened this week, at which discussion of climate change was conspicuously absent.
All that and more today on TMI with Aldous Tyler at noon Central on WSUM 91.7FM in Madison, or streaming live audio via http://wsum.org!
BONUS! Check out THIS archive of TMI from 2014:In this week's Supreme Court ruling on McCutcheon vs FEC, we saw what many are denouncing as "the end of democracy in America" and "Citizens United on steroids" - it certainly looks bad, but what exactly happened, and what are the most likely repercussions? I'm brushed up on the issue, but I cannot match the years of campaign finance expertise of Mike McCabe, of the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign. He'll join us to give us a clear view of it all.
Then, as if that wasn't enough electoral bad news, I'm going to go over a very strange fact: you do not have a Constitutional right to vote in America. If you think that sounds insane, you're not alone: Congressman Mark Pocan has proposed a Constitutional amendment to explicitly define that right to vote for all. But just in case you think he and I are completely off-base, we'll review exactly why we make this outrageous claim.
All that and more on TMI for Saturday April 5th, 2014, broadcasting live at noon Central on WSUM 91.7FM and audio-streamed live via http://wsum.org/ ! Don't miss a thing!
BONUS! Check out THIS archive of TMI from 2014:
There's been a lot of talk in the news lately of the CIA, and TMI will join in... about a completely different CIA. The Cowboy Indian Alliance, a group of ranchers, farmers and tribal communities from along the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline route, are planning to ride into Washington DC and set up camp near the White House to tell President Obama to reject the pipeline. Joining us to talk about it is Maria Langholz, who is one of a multitude of activists who, on April 26th, will join this new "CIA" for a final message that the Keystone XL pipeline and the tar sands must be rejected to protect this generation, and those yet to come. She's putting together a bus to take interested activists to DC on a route from Minneapolis through Madison and Chicago - go to http://www.eventbrite.com/e/travel-to-reject-and-protect-with-mn350-tickets-11277909531 for all details on how to get on that bus.
All that and more today at noon Central on TMI with Aldous Tyler, airing live on WSUM 91.7FM in Madison, and streaming live on http://wsum.org/ - don't miss it!
The COP28 Climate Conference, the United Nations 28th annual meeting to try to coordinate efforts to mitigate the Climate Crisis found itself being used by the nation hosting it to secure MORE fossil fuel production. We go over how there seems virtually NO difference between big oil corporations and nations that rely on oil income when it comes to just how low they will go.
Then, we peel back the veneer on PBMs (Pharmacy Benefit Manager organizations) and how, unlike their original intention when they were created in the 1960s, they play a key role in reducing their members' access to life saving medications and are a key part of why the prices for those pills keep climbing. All this and more on TMI for Friday, December 01, 2023 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
The retail establishment has long enjoyed spreading the myth that until the day after Thanksgiving each year, they are "in the red", or that they haven't made any total profit for the year until that very day. According to this, it is called "Black Friday" as that is when they are finally "in the black" financially, but that is far from the actual origin of the term. We go over how a certain football game's annual happening gave rise to it, and much more on this relaxed edition of TMI for "Black Friday", November 24, 2023 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, the largest health insurer in the state, has successfully stalled legislation that would force it to pay for medically necessary mental health care. We look at who this affects and how Governor Whitmer is closely tied to BCBSM.
Then, the much-derided early reports that COVID could weaken our immune systems and make other diseases far harder to avoid have been vindicated, and tuberculosis is ready to take advantage of our collectively weakened condition. Finally, we look at how the common media loves to scare us over things that are not so bad when in proper context, making it more difficult to discern real issues. All this and more on TMI for Friday, November 17, 2023 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
Just when you've firmly wrapped your head around how human activity has upset the climate, causing a crisis in the skies, a new report tells us how, thanks to human activities, the amount of salts on the Earth's surface are dramatically out of proportion to what would naturally be there without our digging it up, causing further environmental calamity.
Then, Bill McKibben wrote a piece on how President Joe Biden could help not only the planet but his own re-election prospects by NOT allowing new LNG projects to be completed along the Gulf coast. Finally, we look at the struggle of making manufacturing processes "green". All this and more on TMI for Friday, November 10, 2023 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
If you've never heard of Leonardo Leo and you believe that everyone, uterus-bearing or not, has the right to full bodily autonomy and access to health care (including abortion), then strap yourself in while you're given a quick tour of one of the biggest funders behind the SCOTUS majority that overturned Roe v. Wade and behind fighting Ohio from enacting a State Constitutional Amendment protecting abortion rights.
Then, in an enormous executive order, the Biden Administration is attempting to rein in AI before it is too late on a number of fronts - we examine the effort. Finally, we show how Health Network One has devised a NEW way to take public Medicaid money from Florida while giving Medicaid members WORSE coverage, all in the name of more profits! All this and more on TMI for Friday, November 03, 2023 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
Back near the beginning of TMI with Aldous Tyler in 2010, we reported on Eli Pariser's Ted Talk that introduced the world to the "Filter Bubble". This phenomenon, he said, was caused by Google's search algorithms, which would selectively feed you results similar to ones you had interacted with before. That would cause your Google searches to no longer match anyone else's, and would feed you ideas you agreed with far more than those that would challenge your beliefs. Fast forward to today, and his predictions that this "echo chamber" effect could negatively impact society seem far too mild. We discuss how TikTok, Spotify, YouTube, Meta's platforms and many others have stanched the flow of ideas and how to fight back.
Then, as I was preparing to tell you about the latest report from scientists on the climate, noting that we may very well have gone past several tipping points, Hurricane Otis became a demonstration of how we are in unknown territory by unprecedently ramping up from a weak tropical storm to a 165 MPH monster Category 5 hurricane in roughly 24 hours, slamming into the Acapulco area with no warning to evacuate the million-plus people there. We discuss how this alarming development might become the new normal. All that and more on TMI for Friday, October 27, 2023 - get YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
A tremendous amount of oil was discovered on the land belonging to the Osage Nation of Oklahoma. They were the richest people on Earth... until oil-greedy people KILLED them. But who? How did they get away with it?
Investigative reporter Greg Palast has been on the hunt for this story for THREE decades! Where "KIllers of the Flower Moon" starring Leonardo DiCaprio ends, Greg Palast's explosive documentary begins. Find out how the people behind the murder and the theft used that stolen money to help cripple climate change legislation for decades, and so much more! All that and more on TMI for Friday, October 20, 2023 - get YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
It's Friday the 13th, but even more terrifying is the prospect of being homeless in the USA - but there are real solutions being researched, finally! Denver, Colorado has been testing the actual impact of cash payments with no strings attached, and the results show a true way forward.
Next, an analysis of how fascism can be nurtured and grown from eighty years ago just so happens to perfectly encapsulate Trump's entire strategy, and paints a dark view of the coming election year if we aren't careful. Then we look at how fruits and vegetables have lost nutritional value over the years, and find out exactly what the culprits are. Finally, we note that the FCC has issued the first ever fine to a corporation for "space junk". All this and more on TMI for Friday, October 13, 2023 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
Starting back in 2003, private health coverage companies like UnitedHealth, Anthem Blue Cross, Humana and others were allowed to offer "Medicare Advantage" plans to senior citizens and the disabled who qualified for Medicare. Since then, those corporations have figured out how to lie, cheat and swindle the US Government for well over $100,000,000,000.00 - we're talking the level of the net worth of people like Warren Buffet and Jeff Bezos - every YEAR, all while providing their members WORSE health outcomes that cost them MORE. We investigate.
Then, the Internet Archive has been an online library for years now, but when founder Brewster Kahle decided he'd help people suffering via COVID lockdown by releasing all constraints on the Internet Archive's access to copyrighted works, publishing houses sued, and WON. We look at how this loss could spell the end of libraries as we have known them. All this and more on TMI for Friday, October 06, 2023 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
A tremendous amount of oil was discovered on the land belonging to the Osage Nation of Oklahoma. They were the richest people on Earth... until oil-greedy people KILLED them. But who? How did they get away with it?
Investigative reporter Greg Palast has been on the hunt for this story for THREE decades! Where "KIllers of the Flower Moon" starring Leonardo DiCaprio ends, Greg Palast's explosive documentary begins. Find out how the people behind the murder and the theft used that stolen money to help cripple climate change legislation for decades, and so much more! All that and more on TMI for Friday, September 29, 2023 - get YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
Follow Greg Palast for more details, and to find out when the Long Knife documentary releases!
Website: https://www.gregpalast.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/GregPalastOffice
X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/Greg_Palast
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gregpalastinvestigates
While Joe Biden campaigns on "Bidenomics", the rest of us look at the economy and wonder how he and others in the political class of folks in Washington DC could be so out of touch. Turns out, it's not entirely Biden's fault, as we discover that a method for looking at inflation begun under Ronald Reagan helps ENSURE that the view from the top is ALWAYS rosier than the one from our home towns.
Then, an analysis of thousands of scientific studies, done to judge how the Earth is doing in nine essential metrics for humanity's continuation, shows that of those nine limits for life to remain sustainable here, six of them have been breached. Finally, we give the glad news that, due to legal challenges showing the 1849 "ban" on abortion in Wisconsin is shaky at best, Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin has returned to providing the vital health care service of abortion. All this and more on TMI for Friday, September 22, 2023 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
TMI with Aldous Tyler's entire mission is to be The Cure for the Common Media, and nowhere is that more necessary than with the coverage of union disputes. The UAW's upcoming strike is being presented only in terms of how bad it is going to make things for "the consumer", and when you realize the conflicts of interest these media giants have, being beholden to giant as campaigns from the auto manufacturers, it's no big mystery why. Find out what to be wary of, to inoculate yourself against the corporate propaganda.
Then, we show how the climate crisis is impacting the Mediterranean, with Storm Daniel laying waste to a large swath of Greece and an even larger swath of Libya, all in the span of one week. Finally, we see how the lack of charging infrastructure for electric vehicles makes using them for "road trip" travel dicey - even for the Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm! All this and more on TMI for Friday, September 15, 2023 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
As summer winds down and many of us take to the road before things cool down, we take a look at the Interstate Highway system, and how its planning and development were used to smash communities of color all across the USA - and what we can do now to fix the problems caused by that. Sixty years of suffering is a lot to make up for, but it's never too late to start.
Then, we hear from Dana Defosse, the PhD who coined the term "cisgender" some thirty years ago, and why she is horrified by how misconstrued and abused the term has become. Finally, we give a quick reminder of how to properly define "gentrification" so we can see it for the class struggle issue that it is, and not the cultural inconvenience some would like to paint it as. All this and more on TMI for Friday, September 08, 2023 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
THIS IS A REBROADCAST OF TMI WITH ALDOUS TYLER FROM AUGUST 25, 2023! ENJOY!
Greta Gerwig's "Barbie" movie has been maligned since it debuted as being a film that is full of hate for men. We note that this distortion is from an inability to see the real message the film sends to men everywhere: be free to be who YOU are. Could it be that the key to a better world starts with you? Find out.
Next, we look at the national version of the climate lawsuit that won its right to its day in court in Montana. Filed during the Obama Administration, that DOJ as well as Trump's and Bidens have all said the same thing: you have no right to a sustainable climate. Then, we look at the growing problem of those who use the "don't panic" motto until the problem is too big to be ignored, and often too late to be. Finally, we go over how, thanks to airborne diseases, you always have a right to wear a mask. All this and more on TMI for Friday, September 01, 2023 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
Greta Gerwig's "Barbie" movie has been maligned since it debuted as being a film that is full of hate for men. We note that this distortion is from an inability to see the real message the film sends to men everywhere: be free to be who YOU are. Could it be that the key to a better world starts with you? Find out.
Next, we look at the national version of the climate lawsuit that won its right to its day in court in Montana. Filed during the Obama Administration, that DOJ as well as Trump's and Bidens have all said the same thing: you have no right to a sustainable climate. Then, we look at the growing problem of those who use the "don't panic" motto until the problem is too big to be ignored, and often too late to be. Finally, we go over how, thanks to airborne diseases, you always have a right to wear a mask. All this and more on TMI for Friday, August 25, 2023 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
The re-election campaign of President Joe Biden is all in on "Bidenomics" as the core acheivement of the President's first four years, and that's backed up by macro-economic indicators. However, that's only true because the AVERAGE economic outlook has been imporvaed only by how much STAGGERINGLY better the billionaires are doing - most of the rest of us aren't feeling it.
Then, we look at how last year's eruption in Tonga is adding to the human-made climate crisis and how Montana's courts are agreeing with young climate activists: the state OWES them a better climate future.
Finally, we look at how studies are showing the opposite of the doomsayers' predictions about medical marijuana - it is LOWERING health insurance premiums in those states that have it! All this and more on TMI for Friday, August 18, 2023 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
Conspiracy Theories are everywhere lately, and we look at the fundamental core underlying them all to see that THAT, at least, appears to be valid. Then, while we spend a moment taking stock of how disastrous a winter Antarctica is having, we turn from that to see how building trust in each other on the local level can help mitigate the disasters we face as the Climate Crisis rolls on.
Finally, we look on as Food Not Bombs volunteers in Houston take on the city's law against feeding the homeless. All this and more on TMI for Friday, August 11, 2023 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
We start by going through some email received, including one from Senator Bernie Sanders, where the Independent from Vermont looks at the Climate Crisis and asks "how did we get here?" More, he answers that same question with an overview of who knew this would happen, and for how long they've known. We then compare that with how the annual budget bills in Congress are being poisoned by GOP House members against taking action to fix the Climate Crisis.
Then we take a look at a new study of food waste reduction - not just the immediate impact that it would have on lowering the amount of food needed to feed people the way we are now, but also the rebound effect from there being more supply in the food chain. Finally, we go over how a focus on recycling (versus redcing and reusing) is not even remotely the best way to go about things. All this and more on TMI for Friday, August 04, 2023 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
From beautiful Madison, Wisconsin to Asheville, North Carolina to Austin, Texas and far, far more, "college towns" have become the terror of the GOP in statewide elections, often compensating for the remainder of their states' votes and then some. We explore how dramatically the tide has turned since just the year 2000, and what this points to from here.
Then, we take aim at the myth of third party candidates spoiling major party electoral campaigns. When you look at the numbers - ALL of the numbers that apply to the situation - you can see clearly that blaming candidates like Jill Stein for Hillary Clinton's loss makes absolutely no sense. All this and more on TMI for Friday, July 28, 2023 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
We no longer need to think of the Climate Crisis as something to dread in the future - it is here, now. From heat-based records on land and in the ocean to flooding in Vermont and Kentucky, there is simply no denying that it is upon us - now if only THAT was enough to ensure real action: we discuss.
Then, the CDC has been telling us that "excess deaths", a key measure in how bad the COVID pandemic is, has dropped tremendously. The thing is, the way they measure those deaths changed, giving the illusion that less people are dying from COVID than actually are. Finally, we talk about how dozens of nations around the world owe so much on loans they had to take out to pay for climate- and COVID-mitigating measures, that paying the INTEREST on them alone makes it so they can't afford education and health measures for their people. All this and more on TMI for Friday, July 21, 2023 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
"The Pandemic is over" is being deliberately used to give the deceitful impression that we've beaten COVID-19, when the latest outbreak crippling parts of Japan, Ireland and Australia (and likely here) all say otherwise as we tackle what it means for COVID to be "endemic".
Then, we look at how scientists are able to get proof of man-made climate change as well as evidence for a new epoch in the history of the planet all from the unassuming Crawford Lake in Ontario, Canada. Finally, we help Adam McKay and the Lever tell off the "calm down" crowd - maybe a sense of urgency is warranted, eh? All this and more on TMI for Friday, July 14, 2023 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
A relatively recent addition to Medicare, "Medicare Advantage" plans allow private health corporations to get involved with the decision-making process between a patient and their doctor. Given that these profit-driven companies make more short-term money by denying care than by providing it, this turns the promise of the federal Medicare fund on its head. We examine several examples.
Then, we look at the history of what is now known as Picher, Oklahoma, and how every step of the way conservative, racist and corporate-friendly policies created possibly the worst ecological and human disaster in the USA. All this and more on TMI for Friday, July 07, 2023 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
There's an irritation among some on the political left over just how prevalent the schadenfreude is among their cohorts regarding the Titan submersible disaster that saw five members of the billionaire class die via their own hubris while on the way to see the Titanic. We examine why the irritation exists, and why so many found joy in the death of the Titan five in the deep.
Then, the audio recording of Donald Trump showing unauthorized people classified documents is damning, so we play the two minutes of audio and then go over how, point by point, it entirely destroys each and every excuse he has ever used for the classified document case he finds himself in. Finally, we show how the idea that humanity "has lived with disease for centuries" is simply the worst take one could ever have. All this and more on TMI for Friday, June 30, 2023 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
THIS IS A REBROADCAST OF THE JUNE 16, 2023 EPISODE:
In the wake of the East Palestine, Ohio derailment disaster involving tanker rail cars rupturing hazardous materials into the water and air of the good people of Ohio, Senator JD Vance (R - OH) vowed he would work with his fellow Senators to put forward a bill that would address the issues that allowed that to happen. That is, until he got a whiff of that sweet lobbyist money. We detail what happened.
Then, we reveal that the normal defense El Niño provides the USA against hurricanes is being fought by a record-breakingly hot Atlantic Ocean, making it very hard to predict exactly how hurricane season is going to end up. Finally we give two news updates: one in Tennessee where a Trump-appointed Federal judge has struck down the anti-drag "Adult Entertainment Act" in its entirety, citing First Amendment protections, and the second one in Italy where a caldera is truly worrying scientists that it could erupt soon, with no less than three million people living within 30 km of it. All this and more on TMI for Friday, June 23, 2023 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
In the wake of the East Palestine, Ohio derailment disaster involving tanker rail cars rupturing hazardous materials into the water and air of the good people of Ohio, Senator JD Vance (R - OH) vowed he would work with his fellow Senators to put forward a bill that would address the issues that allowed that to happen. That is, until he got a whiff of that sweet lobbyist money. We detail what happened.
Then, we reveal that the normal defense El Niño provides the USA against hurricanes is being fought by a record-breakingly hot Atlantic Ocean, making it very hard to predict exactly how hurricane season is going to end up. Finally we give two news updates: one in Tennessee where a Trump-appointed Federal judge has struck down the anti-drag "Adult Entertainment Act" in its entirety, citing First Amendment protections, and the second one in Italy where a caldera is truly worrying scientists that it could erupt soon, with no less than three million people living within 30 km of it. All this and more on TMI for Friday, June 16, 2023 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
Insightful author Jessica Wildfire writes this week about how we Americans ave been systematically shamed out of admitting when we are poor and need help. With her permission, I share "I Wonder What the Poor Folks Are Eating" from her Substack, a piece that details exactly how we've been led to try and show gratitude for being ripped off, and never, ever ask for help.
Then we go over the recent increase in monopolistic corporations throwing temper tantrums to get their way when we throw regulations at them that they find inexcusably bad... for their engorged profit margins. All this and more on TMI for Friday, June 9, 2023 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
There has been a long fight in the United States to bring to the richest nation in the world what so many others have: universal health coverage. When COVID-19 came crashing down on us all, even nations with much less GDP per capita had enormously better outcomes: the USA faced roughly THREE times more dead per capita, with the only real difference being for-profit vs universal health coverage. Exactly what good is being the richest if you die?
Then, we discuss how the work requirements placed into the debt ceiling negotiations have a common backer with the child labor allowances being passed state by state in the last year or so. All this and more on TMI for Friday, June 2, 2023 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
If you're a fan of the TV show Bones, you know that the lead character, Dr. Temperance "Bones" Brennan, is famously able to take a glance at a human skeleton and tell so much about the person who it once belonged to, including their biological sex. Unfortunately for the writers of the Fox drama, this hasn't been accepted science now since the early 1970s, something Bones would have known. We discuss how this came to be, and how solid the scientific backing for gender flexibility and fluidity is.
Next, we talk about why California's new climate accountability law is being fought by not just the usual suspects of Big Oil, but also by restaurant chains such as the west coast favorite In-N-Out Burger. Finally, we look at how librarians and educators at schools nationwide have found themselves frightened of books. All this and more on TMI for Friday, May 26, 2023 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
The looming Climate Crisis feels like it is all too large and out of our control, but that's simply not true. While the behavior of big corporations must be the largest part of the solution, we go over little things that you, yourself can do to help mitigate the hardship we all are facing from the climate.
Then, we expose the nonsense being peddled by anti-choice politicians and activists that 12 week abortion bans are "commonsense" and show just how cruel they truly are. Finally, we go over the plans, being made out in broad daylight, for turning the state of Kansas into a "Conservative Sanctuary". All this and more on TMI for Friday, May 19, 2023 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
The likes of Elvis Presley and David Bowie have famously sung about how someone could be so lonely they could die, but Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy has recently confirmed it. In a recent advisory, Surgeon General Murthy calls attention to a public health crisis of loneliness, isolation, and lack of connection in our country that can lead to mental health challenges and increase the risk for premature death to levels comparable to smoking daily - we look into this.
Then, remember when certain studies came out saying that masks don't work at keeping COVID at bay? Turns out they were using the same methodology that shows a parachute is as ineffective as an ordinary backpack at preventing death when falling from an airplane: the randomized controlled trial. While this is the gold standard for testing many medical interventions, it can and often does lead to serious flaws when applied to engineered solutions, such as parachutes and, you guessed it, masks. Finally, we show how the Muppets managed to expose Florida Governor Ron DeSantis' attack on being "woke" for the virtue signalling opportunistic nonsense it is. All this and more on TMI for Friday, May 12, 2023 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
Since taking the reins of the Supreme Court, Chief Justice John Roberts has had an unflinching policy of denying access to the hallowed halls of SCOTUS to most cases proposed to them. The issue has always been if the case is being brought by someone with "standing" - in other words, if the case is being put forward by a person or entity that is being harmed by not having the Supreme Court take the case up for review. Time and again, the Roberts' Court has turned away cases where it was possible that harm was being done - "possible" wasn't good enough, it had to be solid. So, in even considering overturning Biden's miniscule student loan relief plan, the Roberts' Court is flying in the facing of its own policy of standing; we examine how.
Then, we dive into some good news for a change, examining how the Minnesota state government is putting a large number of progressive proposals into state law, allowing us all to see how they can be implemented to do the good they are intended to do. Finally: you may recall renowned physicist Stephen Hawking had a paralyzing disorder that forced him to communicate through a speech-generating device initially through use of a handheld switch, and eventually by using a single cheek muscle. Communicating this way was a long and painstaking process for Professor Hawking - imagine the difference that could be made if someone like him had their fMRI readings directly interpreted into words. That's exactly the breakthrough we discuss, as scientists have trained a generative pretrained transformer (GPT) AI to use fMRI scanning technology to literally read the subject's mind! Exciting (and maybe a bit frightening), this application of GPT AI shows how much the world is set to change from the advent of current-gen AI. All this and more on TMI for Friday, May 5, 2023 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
When you hear the term "Class War", it's typically being thrown at you by those who STARTED the war in the first place - the Capital Class. Want proof? Just talk to Assoc. Professor Clara Mattei: her new book, "The Capital Order: How Economists Invented Austerity and Paved the Way to Fascism" lays out all the evidence of how Austerity was carefully crafted to be a weapon to use against those not fortunate enough to have been born super-rich... that's (almost certainly) you. And it has its origins over a hundred years ago! Watch now so you know exactly what tricks are still being used to this day by those in power to keep the rest of us from improving things for EVERYONE, not just them.
Check out the book here:https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/C/bo181707138.html
But first, we talk about how SCOTUS has cleared the way for state and local courts to hear climate change lawsuits against Big Oil. Then later, We talk about the big event in Israel that drew both Israelis and Palestinians in support of denouncing the violence against both people. All this and more on TMI for Friday, April 28, 2023 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
Veteran Investigative Journalist Greg Palast joins us to discuss how the media repeated (not reported on) the lie fed them by Georgia's Brad Raffensperger. What lie? That the runoff election had "record turnout" when that last runoff just two years ago had ONE MILLION MORE VOTES. He and I even do the EASY math for you here and lay it all out, not only the ramifications for Georgia, but the rest of the nation! It you can't tune in at 5:00pm Central to WSUM 91.7FM to catch this episode then LISTEN NOW: there's a time-sensitive link given to you in all of this! The Vigilante movie, sixty minutes which document the whole mess in Georgia with narration by Rosario Dawson, is available to watch FREE but ONLY THROUGH SUNDAY, JANUARY 1st! Then it won't be streaming or for sale anywhere, so hop on it NOW at https://VigilanteMovie.com/ and always keep an eye on https://GregPalast.com/ for the best insight into what is happening electorally.
Don't miss this special episode - listen NOW for YOUR Cure for the Common Media and put 2022 to bed the way it deserves to be.
While supposedly-Democratic Senators Joe Machin and Kyrsten Sinema seem to be such a match made in Hell that they've been given the collective nickname "Manchinema", we discuss how their differences actually spell even MORE trouble than what they have in common. Next, we look at Dr. Jha, the new COVID Coordinator for the Biden Administration and examine his record, noting that he has some major flaws in his history that makes his appointment seem... ill-advised. Finally, we give a quick looksee at new innovations in EV pickup trucks, thin film that can act as a speaker for your audio needs, and how DNA being lodged inside meteors may not be as rare as once thought. All this and more on TMI for Friday, April 29, 2022 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
It's widely accepted that if we allow the globe to reach an average of 2°C warmer than pre-industrial levels, absolute chaos will be unleashed - we discuss how difficult it is looking like it will be to keep from hitting that threshold. Then: for years women were told that the best way to be financially stable was to find a "provider" husband who would bring in all the wealth they need. Studies are now showing how this dependency has kept women from building the wealth they need to be seen as equals financially. Finally, we go over how the US Department of Education is planning to re-work the highly flawed income-driven repayment system, so that once payments for student loans are restored, they don't immediately put everyone back where they started. All this and more on TMI for Friday, April 22, 2022 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
REBROADCAST OF MARCH 25, 2022 EPISODE: The temperature in parts of the Antarctic hit 70ºF above average - what makes that even more alarming is how at the SAME moment parts of the Arctic hit 50ºF above average! We discuss the ramifications. Next, while many are aware of the corrupt and corporate leanings of Democratic Senator Joe Manchin, his wife Gayle happens to have still OTHER corrupting forces that she merrily navigates for her husband's benefit.
Then, we review how the EU commissioned a study to "prove" that unauthorized downloads have a negative effect on legitimate sales of various forms of media, only to have the study buried when it failed to show much of anything like that. Finally, we examine the idea "If you can't measure it, then it doesn't exist" and why this is a truly flawed concept. All that and more on TMI for Friday, April 15, 2022 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
REBROADCAST OF APRIL 1, 2022 EPISODE: The Thwaite Glacier in Antarctica is becoming less stable by the day, and its particular positioning makes it a very potent force in the future rise of sea levels. We discuss that, then we go over concerns that are being expressed over how the USA is going to monitor the next surge of COVID-19 infection when we seem to be dismantling the programs that have done just that the last two years. Finally, we take a quick look at precisely how many human beings have ever lived on Earth - given that we are almost to eight billion, the total will surprise you. All this and more on TMI for Friday, April 8, 2022 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
The Thwaite Glacier in Antarctica is becoming less stable by the day, and its particular positioning makes it a very potent force in the future rise of sea levels. We discuss that, then we go over concerns that are being expressed over how the USA is going to monitor the next surge of COVID-19 infection when we seem to be dismantling the programs that have done just that the last two years. Finally, we take a quick look at precisely how many human beings have ever lived on Earth - given that we are almost to eight billion, the total will surprise you. All this and more on TMI for Friday, April 1, 2022 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
The temperature in parts of the Antarctic hit 70ºF above average - what makes that even more alarming is how at the SAME moment parts of the Arctic hit 50ºF above average! We discuss the ramifications. Next, while many are aware of the corrupt and corporate leanings of Democratic Senator Joe Manchin, his wife Gayle happens to have still OTHER corrupting forces that she merrily navigates for her husband's benefit.
Then, we review how the EU commissioned a study to "prove" that unauthorized downloads have a negative effect on legitimate sales of various forms of media, only to have the study buried when it failed to show much of anything like that. Finally, we examine the idea "If you can't measure it, then it doesn't exist" and why this is a truly flawed concept. All that and more on TMI for Friday, March 25, 2022 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has aims to eliminate a Congressional district in his state that is primarily populated by black people. We will go over the legality of this, and how it is NO accident. Then, we go over the bill that has passed the US Senate, looking to end the madness of changing our clocks twice a year by making Daylight Saving Time a permanent state, beginning November 2023.
Finally, we talk about a recent report from the US Secret Service, noting that a significant portion of domestic terrorist activity has been coming from the growing "incel community" online. We discuss all that and more on TMI for Friday, March 18, 2022 - listen in for your Cure for the Common Media!
TMI with Aldous Tyler has been pre-empted for Friday, March 11, 2022. Please check back on Friday, March 18, 2022 for a new episode of TMI, YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
We are joined by Greg Palast who outlines how both the sharp increase in oil prices and the Russian Orthodox Church are motivating Vladimir Putin to push further into Ukraine, causing untold chaos for both Russia and Ukraine. Then, I go over how Russia has a particular geographical feature that makes invading Ukraine even more attractive for Putin, along with a few other issues that weren't covered in our conversation with Palast.
Finally, a Geothermal startup believes it has the recipe for making cheap renewable energy available almost anywhere on Earth! All this and more on TMI for Friday, March 4th, 2022 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
The State of Missouri was badly embarrassed when a journalist discovered that the private details of thousands of Missouri teachers (including Social Security Numbers) was publicly accessible via the HTML code of a Missouri website, using the simple tool called "View Source" - this led to the journalist being labeled a "hacker" by the Governor. We discuss what happened in this gross misuse of political pressure.
Next, we talk about how, for white women the right to have an abortion was ruled in favor of medical "privacy", making the legal grounds for it shaky and leaving out the number one factor that made it important to black women: equality. Finally, we give a briefing on how Starbucks has found itself on the losing end of another part of its employees' push for union representation. All this and much more on TMI for Friday, February 25, 2022 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
Dave Black, founder of WSUM here in Madison, Wisconsin, and one of the key people who helped get TMI on the airwaves, has died less than one year after his retirement. While we shall spend most of this episode on other topics, I refused to go further without honoring the passing of this dedicated media visionary. Thank you for humoring me.
Then, we talk about the dry facts surrounding the drought the southwest United States has been suffering though, including how it can be considered the worst in recorded history by several measures. Next, we examine how the very framework we use on a daily basis to talk about environmental issues has been corrupted for over 50 years now to shift as much of the blame away from corporate responsibility as possible. Finally, we briefly go over how for the first time, computer modeling has been able to successfully simulate the universe from the Big Bang through to its present state. All this and much more on TMI for Friday, February 18, 2022 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
Here in the USA, we are very proud of ourselves as a nation, looking down on "third world" countries where the people face food insecurity, violence from corrupt or racist policing, mass homelessness... without realizing that what we are describing is also HERE. We find out what happened to bring us from the heights of a strong middle class to the point at which very few can truly make ends meet.
Then, in a heartwarming turn, thousands of Fin Whales have been spotted together in Antarctic waters - we'll tell you why this is even better than it may seem on the surface. Finally, we look at how, because it's not generally acceptable to be openly racist, the idea of being "colorblind" has spread far and wide. But this trend doesn't actually help anything - indeed, it may lead to more racism. We discuss all this and more on TMI for Friday, February 11, 2022 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
From its origins just a few months ago until now, Wordle has become the simple little online game that took over many people's Facebook newsfeeds and more - just in time for the New York Times to swoop in and buy it from Josh Wardle. Oh, the NYT promises it will remain free... for an introductory period. Mr. Wardle couldn't rightly turn down the money thrown at him, but wonders why we can't just have nice free things? Turns out you can - we explain how.
Then, once the domain of governmental achievement, the space race has become the realm of - and plaything of - the hyper-wealthy. These "space lords" all have flowery language to describe their visions of the future, but a quick look at their own past and present shows that we may not enjoy the actual outcomes that result from their designs. We discuss all this and much more on TMI for Friday, February 4, 2022 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
THIS IS A REBROADCAST OF TMI FROM 01/21/2022.
Society seems pretty well torn in two, and the odd thing about it is that there appears to be mostly a conflict between those who want to focus on building and uplifting community between each other and those who prize, above all else, what they have been TOLD it means to be "free". We examine this fundamental breakdown in communication to hopefully better prepare you to help heal the rifts so we can focus on the billionocracy that is keeping us ALL down.
Then, reports from Ukraine not the only things that are echoing the beginnings of historic, major wars. The fact that there are multiple major places of unrest boiling up simultaneously calls back to how wars like World War I, World War II and other major wars began. We discuss.
Finally, we examine the most current understandings of the nature of time itself, which may surprise you. After all, it has been completely proven that the closer you get to the surface of the Earth, the SLOWER time moves. Can there be any absolute notion of time when it bends depending on your location? All this and much more on TMI for Friday, January 28, 2022 - listen in for your Cure for the Common Media!
Society seems pretty well torn in two, and the odd thing about it is that there appears to be mostly a conflict between those who want to focus on building and uplifting community between each other and those who prize, above all else, what they have been TOLD it means to be "free". We examine this fundamental breakdown in communication to hopefully better prepare you to help heal the rifts so we can focus on the billionocracy that is keeping us ALL down.
Then, reports from Ukraine not the only things that are echoing the beginnings of historic, major wars. The fact that there are multiple major places of unrest boiling up simultaneously calls back to how wars like World War I, World War II and other major wars began. We discuss.
Finally, we examine the most current understandings of the nature of time itself, which may surprise you. After all, it has been completely proven that the closer you get to the surface of the Earth, the SLOWER time moves. Can there be any absolute notion of time when it bends depending on your location? All this and much more on TMI for Friday, January 21, 2022 - listen in for your Cure for the Common Media!
Katherine J. Wu of the Atlantic tells us that virologists don't mean what WE mean when they say the Omicron variant of COVID is "milder" - that misunderstanding is leading to a lot of poor public health decisions, letting our guard down around a still-fatal pandemic. Then, we look over Ryan Cooper's piece in the week, entitled "Wisconsin's One-Party Rule is What the GOP Wants Everywhere" and how, despite having a Democratic governor, virtually all policy in the state is under the thumb of the Republicans. Finally we review the findings that 2021 had the hottest ocean temperatures on record, and what that means for the future. All that and more on TMI for Friday, January 14, 2022 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
Betty White quietly funded the rescue of animals in 2005 during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, not wanting any fame for it, and setting a good example for us all - she knew what mattered to her and then acted on it, as we all should. Also, if you can, follow her example of longevity. Then, we go into how, at 30% remaining contagious with COVID at the fifth day of infection, the new CDC guidelines allow roughly 300,000 infectious people per day back into the workforce. Next, we review Stephen Marsh's book, "The Next Civil War". where he proclaims that it's not just likely, it's pretty much at our doorstep. Finally, Harrison Ford declares that "Science is Tested Knowledge" - remember that. Att that and much more on TMI for Friday, January 7, 2022 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
Eschewing the ordinary year-in-review, we go over the events of 2021 that are actually worth reviewing. This includes CRT protests being used as a distraction from how the January 6th investigation was not going well for the GOP, how many more people were getting badly affected by the climate crisis, and that there was no room in the debate for helping people out financially - oh no, they wanted you to look away from all of that in order to see them roaring over how "critical race theory teaches our children to hate America". Look for Black History Month protests this coming February.
Then, we examine the pro-corporate and flawed guidance given by the CDC regarding shortening the guidelines for COVID isolation, declaring "we can't take science in a vacuum"... because what about the MONEY??, the science be damned. Finally, we look at how the USA had been reborn in essence four times since its foundation, and how we are due for a fifth one any day now. All that and more on TMI for Friday, December 31, 2021 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
Right on cue, Senators Sinema and Manchin show President Biden that his supposed ability to know how to get things done in DC is sorely outdated, as his Build Back Better bill gets halted by the latest rotating villains in the Democratic Party. Then, astrophysicists were pretty dang certain they had a firm grasp on how fast the universe was expanding, until new recalculations show the cosmos spreading apart at a rate previously unheard of. Finally, there may be only one Koch brother left alive, but he and his money have been poured into higher education - not a good thing when the goal of these funds is to set up think tanks designed to show that lockdowns, social distancing, masking and more were "a debacle". All this and more on TMI for Friday, December 24, 2021 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
THIS EPISODE IS A REBROADCAST OF TMI FROM 12/03/2021.
When you mix a bad habit that the mind has with the way social media feeds it, and add a dash of deadly pandemic, the results are fatal - we explain how. Then, we look at how newly engineered stem cell groups are able to build replicas of themselves in groundbreaking research just released this week. Finally, we show how your boss has been lied to by the big capitalist culture, fooling them into believing that lower pay is the only way to increase profits. All this and much more on TMI for Friday, December 17, 2021 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
One of the key things that you'd expect a true crisis to bring is damage to those who have done no wrong - and the Climate Crisis does not disappoint. The wronged parties are taking to the courts for remedy against those damages, and this may be key to finally getting the attention of the oligarchs. Then, Sildenafil, a highly popular medication for keeping certain things alert, seems to be showing an ability to help fight dementia- we go over the swell results. Finally, we take some time to recall that the holiday season is upon us, and none of us are immune to stressing out. All this and much more on TMI for Friday, December 10, 2021 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
When you mix a bad habit that the mind has with the way social media feeds it, and add a dash of deadly pandemic, the results are fatal - we explain how. Then, we look at how newly engineered stem cell groups are able to build replicas of themselves in groundbreaking research just released this week. Finally, we show how your boss has been lied to by the big capitalist culture, fooling them into believing that lower pay is the only way to increase profits. All this and much more on TMI for Friday, December 3rd, 2021 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
The retail establishment has long enjoyed spreading the myth that until the day after Thanksgiving each year, they are "in the red", or that they haven't made any total profit for the year until that very day. According to this, it is called "Black Friday" as that is when they are finally "in the black" financially, but that is far from the actual origin of the term. We go over how a certain football game's annual happening gave rise to it, and much more on this relaxed edition of TMI for "Black Friday", November 26, 2021 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
Maybe you've heard of Palantir or other software that promises to let law enforcement investigate social media more easily, but the unprecedented lengths Voyager can go allows the tools to be not just entrapping, but also ones that reinforce policing prejudices.
Then, finishing our reporting on the COP26 climate conference, we discuss how the big boys (USA, UK, EU, etc) are consistently stopping any discussion of "climate reparations", despite the undeniable fact that MOST of the emissions behind the climate crisis have come from the "Global North" and the destruction thusfar has primarily been suffered by the "Global South".
Finally we give a little insight into why you might wonder at how we don't comment on certain BIG news items, while giving you insights on things you haven't heard. All that and much more on TMI for Friday, November 19, 2021 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
At the 26th Conference of Parties (COP26) climate conference, there's been a renewed call to have "climate finance" defined in such a way that keeps things like loans out of the picture. After all, "climate finance" is the funding put forward to help nations that need assistance to help them become greener, and if it includes (via ambiguity) such things as predatory loans or comes with strings attached, it discourages those we want to ENCOURAGE to adapt. Worse, it gives the loaning countries the expectation that what they "spend" on climate finance will actually come back to them, leaving less actual revenue put towards the effort than the manipulated numbers tell.
Then, we explore how financial desperation is fueling fear and ignorance globally, and how we are doomed to a dark age... unless we can succeed in bringing about a new enlightenment! All this and much more on TMI for Friday, November 12, 2021 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media.
In a scenario that is also playing out elsewhere, Colorado is finding out that the cost of allowing so much ignorance about vaccination among its citizens is its hospitals becoming completely overwhelmed by mostly those who refuse the vaccine. Not only does that harm the benighted patients in the ICU, it also keeps hospitals from being able to admit others who need their services, forcing non-COVID patients to be turned away even from emergency care.
Then, we look at the much-exaggerated "rough night" the Democratic Party had on 11/2/2021 - the losses were easily predictable, despite what the corporate media wants you to think, and they are being used as leverage to push Dems even FURTHER from action that would inspire people to come out in support of them. Finally, we talk about a pair of exciting new discoveries in the world of science: successful parthenogenesis in birds (specifically condors) being observed for the first time, and the ability to use a brain implant prosthesis to allow a blind person to 'see".
All this and much more on TMI for Friday, November 5th, 2021 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
Rolling Stone published a blockbuster investigation that directly connects a number of GOP Congresspeople and the Trump Administration itself to the planning of the Capitol Attack of January 6th, 2021 - we go over the report in detail.
Then, if you wondered how Emergency Room visits get to be so expensive, a lobbying group called the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) have spent decades now twisting the regulations and then flouting even THOSE to make an illegal profit for the capitalists who back it. All that and much more on TMI for Friday, October 29, 2021 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
The enormously popular Netflix series "Squid Game" has caught a lot of attention politically for the obvious yet unshakable satire of capitalism that it provides, clearly illustrating how ruthless and inhuman acts are virtually the only way to "win the game". However, those who champion the capitalist nightmare we are in cannot allow (or even fathom) this sharp attack to go unanswered, going to so far as to take the creator's quoted purpose of the series and flatly saying he's wrong. We expose these denials and the mendacious folks behind them, and show you how to detect bad analysis about the series.
Then, this year's Nobel Prize in Economics is actually worth talking about, as it recognizes the shift from ideological economics (which has people believing harmful nonsense about immigrants and the minimum wage) to evidence-based economics. Finally, we give an overview of how a habitable planet does NOT equal one that will spontaneously grow life of its own, and break down the beautiful rarity our own planet is. Given that, maybe we should protect it more strenuously? All that and much more on TMI for Friday, October 22, 2021 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
Last year, measures went nationwide to rein in the outlandish spending on municipal law enforcement (much of which embellished them with military-grade hardware). This attempt to slow the militarization of our local police forces, which tended to disproportionately affect black Americans, has since been quickly shuffled back into their budgets this year. We analyze why and what can be done as an alternative.
Then, Colin Kaepernick has a publishing company, and its first book discusses the history of the "Abolish the Prisons" movement. and how this idea needs to be re-examined now more than ever. Finally, we look at how scientists have been able to suss out what appears to be unmistakable evidence that crows and ravens possess sentient thought. All this and more on TMI for Friday, October 15, 2021 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media.
On today's episode, we take you to Germany, where an unprecedented victory was scored by a movement of renters seeking to keep the housing crisis in the city of Berlin under control by forcing the government to claim over 200,000 rental units out of the hands of the landlords who have been mercilessly raising rents well above the renters' ability to pay.
Then, we examine the Pandora Papers, a revelation that makes 2016's Panama Papers scandal seem tiny as it documents precisely how the richest of the world keep their money from benefitting anyone but themselves, escaping taxation and even validation of the precise amounts of wealth they possess. All this and more on TMI for Friday, October 8, 2021 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
Amazon says it has the perfect solution to the housing crisis: why not let them house their workers in affordable housing near their workplaces, allowing them to also help control costs by supplying transportation, food, and other needs? Why? Oh, we'll tell you, and the answer is to be found in the old classic "Sixteen Tons".
Then, COVID-19's path of death has shifted its focus: as more of your centrist-to-leftward population in America has gotten vaccinated versus the conservative side, more US conservatives are finding themselves hospitalized by the "hoax", with no few of them dying of it. Finally, we look at how Trump is suing to try and keep White House records from January 6th, 2021 from investigators into the Capitol Attack. Nothing suspicious there. All that and much more on TMI with Aldous Tyler for Friday, October 1, 2021. Listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
Global Warming's "tipping points" like Fires, Floods, Permafrost Melt, and other catastrophes appear absolutely unstoppable when framed with the oft-asked "what can _I_ do about it?" We show why this is the WRONG framework to use when tackling climate issues.
Then, we further go into how (MMT be damned) possibly one of the most KEY parts of solving the crisis is the taxation of the BIllionaire class. Finally, we shed light on how, while it is perfectly good that Gabby Petito got the attention she did when she was "lost", so many more Native women are lost with barely a mention in even the most local of media. All this and more on TMI with Aldous Tyler for Friday, September 24, 2021 – listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media.
Adding to the long list of publications and sources that MUST be double-checked before reporting from, the New York Times published an article citing bad numbers for the chances of getting a breakthrough COVID infection as if they were valid. According to that, you had a 1 in 5,000 to 1 in 10,000 chance of getting a breakthrough COVID-19 infection if you were already vaccinated, a number that was ludicrously off the day it was published and continues to be more inaccurate as the pandemic rages on. We examine how they arrived at these figures, and what the real chances are. Please get vaccinated, as doing so makes it much more likely you won't DIE when you catch COVID-19, but please also stay socially distant and masked for your own safety.
Also, we talk about the Build America Act and its' reconciliation bill, the Build Back Better Act, and how it is imperative the two are not allowed to be separated. All this and more on TMI with Aldous Tyler for Friday, September 17, 2021 – listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media.
With your host down for the count with COVID-19, please enjoy a repeat of last week's episode of TMI:
Ronald Reagan gave us his "nine most terrifying words in the english language" 40 years ago - we examine how this devious concept has insidiously corrupted our ability to function as a government, even when it comes to responding to immediate threats like Hurricane Ida.
Then, we talk about the strike down in Alabama by miners of Warrior Met Coal, and the similarities to some historically violent coal strikes that rocked the USA roughly 100 years ago. With luck, maybe we can protect workers' rights without so much bloodshed this time.
Finally, we look at the completion of the USA's withdrawal from Afghanistan, and how it has been long overdue. All this and more on this BEST OF TMI with Aldous Tyler for Friday, Sepetmber 10, 2021 – listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media.
Ronald Reagan gave us his "nine most terrifying words in the english language" 40 years ago - we examine how this devious concept has insidiously corrupted our ability to function as a government, even when it comes to responding to immediate threats like Hurricane Ida.
Then, we talk about the strike down in Alabama by miners of Warrior Met Coal, and the similarities to some historically violent coal strikes that rocked the USA roughly 100 years ago. With luck, maybe we can protect workers' rights without so much bloodshed this time.
Finally, we look at the completion of the USA's withdrawal from Afghanistan, and how it has been long overdue. All this and more on TMI with Aldous Tyler for Friday, Sepetmber 03, 2021 – listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media.
On today's episode of TMI:
WHAT IS THE MATTER WITH YOU?? Will you at LEAST get vaccinated if the State of Wisconsin PAYS you $100? If you don't live there, don't worry - we cover a number of other incentives that are being issued to coax reluctant citizens into doing what THEY SHOULD DO ANYWAY.
Then, we celebrate the successful unionization of Collectivo Coffee, the effort to do so first referenced here on TMI on the March 19th episode with Faiz Shakir. They are the first coffee chain to do so, and we lay out the significance.
Next, we note that China is breaking the record for largest power-generating wind turbine, and we tell you why bigger actually IS better when it comes to wind turbines.
Finally, Chevrolet has been forced to recall all Bolt EV cars due to the tendency for their batteries to burst into flames. All this and more on TMI with Aldous Tyler for Friday, August 27, 2021 – listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media.
Three favorite segments from TMI 2020:
You’ve heard how birds and other animals migrate because of climate, but what about people? We look into how the current rise of ocean levels, persistence of horrific wildfires and battering by terrible storms will be shaping where people choose to live – if they CAN choose to.
Then, billionaires get compared to a lot of naturally occurring niches in the ecosystem: predators, sure or parasites, even. However, I make the case that they are far less natural, as they get their outrageous wealth by essentially consuming their fellow human beings. That makes them cannibals.
Finally, we take a look NOT the solar year we call 2020, but the “cosmic year” – or how long it takes us to orbit around the center of our galaxy, and how things weren’t all that different the last time we were in this position, galactically. All this and more on TMI with Aldous Tyler for Friday, August 20, 2021 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media.
This is the Tribute segment to Peter Conover originally aired 8/6/2021 along with the two musical breaks used for that episode of TMI with Aldous Tyler, separated out from the rest of the episode for easier sharing. Blessed Be, Peter Conover!
On this episode of TMI, we talk about how the 2020/2021 Tokyo Olympic Games was NOT a good event, with NBC carrying a LOT of water for it, and the IOC refusing to acknowledge the many problems it had. Fine. WE will, and more, we'll issue an apology for it.
Then, we look into how Bernie Sanders has managed to leverage his new Chairmanship in the Senate into a platform to push a progressive agenda for all of us. Finally, we check into how COVID passports are being required more and more to attend events and more - we look into how this is a good idea to promote public safety in a pandemic made all the worse by ignorant refusal to do the most basic things to stop it. All this and more on TMI with Aldous Tyler for Friday, August 13, 2021 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media.
This week on TMI, your host, Aldous, has lost a friend of his to suicide. We pay tribute to Peter Conover, his inimitable music, his vision of connectedness, and we also acknowledge that, for those who take their own lives, they had to fight to remain here as long as they did. We share resources to help those still with us, still fighting. Then, for the two musical breaks, we play songs by Peter, in tribute to his spirit and his voice.
Needing to rest, your host replays two recent segments for the remaining episode time: First, we discuss the ethics of being told that not only MUST you return to the office, versus being able to work from home, but that you may be forced to do so in the company of folks who have refused vaccination against COVID. Is it right to force someone to choose between living indoors and staying healthy? Finally, we look at how strategy board games like Puerto Rico force their players to adopt the genocidal mindsets of colonists in order to succeed at their games. All this and much more on TMI for Friday, August 6, 2021 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
We've all heard of Subway's infamous tunaless tuna sandwich by now - researchers discovered no tuna DNA in the meat of Subway's famous offering, causing headlines across the country. What hasn't been reported nearly as much as this is likely not even Subway's fault: a staggeringly high amount of fish and seafood is being sold mislabeled. We explore the mystery of the fishy fish.
Then, we discuss the ethics of being told that not only MUST you return to the office, versus being able to work from home, but that you may be forced to do so in the company of folks who have refused vaccination against COVID. Is it right to force someone to choose between living indoors and staying healthy? Finally, we look at how strategy board games like Puerto Rico force their players to adopt the genocidal mindsets of colonists in order to succeed at their games. All this and much more on TMI for Friday, July 30, 2021 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
On this week's TMI, we sound the alarm on the attack of COVID-19's Delta Variant and show how it absolutely indicates that we opened too soon. Then we go over the 50 years of the War on Drugs, first declared by President Nixon, and how, by and large, the only lasting effect it had was the decimation of poor and minority-race families, communities and cities. Finally, we stop a moment and compare how both COVID and the War on Drugs hold a striking number of similarities. All this and much more on TMI for Friday, July 23, 2021 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
Given the complete ignorance almost everyone in the United States has about Critical Race Theory (except, of course, listeners of TMI), why is there such an outcry against it being taught in grade school? We examine. Then, we compare how little other countries spend compared to the USA for what amounts to better infrastructure, and why this is normally the case? Finally, we chart out the most likely course for the GOP and its devotion to Congressional obstruction over the next two years. All this and much more on TMI for Friday, July 16, 2021 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
On this week's TMI, we report on how Exxon is now divulging how for decades it has known about its role in the Climate Crisis, and how it used deceptions, manipulations and denials to keep on making billions in profits while selling out our future. Then, we examine how Wall Street regularly turns the retirement pension funds that many American workers rely on against the best interests of those workers by investing in companies and policies that make life far more difficult for them by the time they retire. Finally, we do a news-in-brief segment featuring a new Socialism Survey and NOAA's newly-adjusted "normals". All this and much more on TMI for Friday, July 9, 2021 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
On this week's TMI, we discuss how bipartisanship is being held up as more important than continuing to work on mitigating the disastrous effects of the climate crisis. We also air a first-hand report on the 2021 Trump rally in Lorain County, Ohio, and finally we examine a new study that illustrates how the collapse of Texas' power grid was DESPITE the use of renewable energy types like solar and wind, not, as the right-wing media tried to claim, BECAUSE of them. All this and much more on TMI for Friday, July 2, 2021 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
**ON THIS BEST OF TMI EPISODE:
Stormé DeLarverie threw the first punch at the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village, New York City on a fateful June night in 1969, and her cry of "WHY DON’T YOU DO SOMETHING!?" should be recalled among the most influential rallying statements of any modern rights movement. Find out not just why June is Pride Month, but portions of the origin story that you may never have heard before.**
Worldwide, many are turning away from organized political parties, feeling that these groups have been usurped by elite forces and thus made unresponsive to the needs of the people. But does democracy work well without them? We investigate. Finally, we go over a by-the-numbers summary of who has been arrested for the attack on the US Capitol Building on January 6th, 2021 - some of the numbers and facts here will surprise you. All that and more on this BEST OF TMI originally broadcast on Friday, June 11, 2021 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
On this week's TMI, we examine what Critical Race Theory is, how it stems from a need to accurately report on the history of the United States' treatment of race, and how being against teaching it equates being against history teachers teaching history. Next, we go over some of TMI's favorite sources for news, due to these sources' ability to unclutter fact from opinion, and give you the most clear-eyed information available. Finally, we report on how Student Debt Relief, a promise of the Biden campaign for all, is now being dangled as a lottery prize to encourage COVID-19 vaccinations. More vaccination is a good thing, but keeping Student Debt Relief from everyone while using it like this? That's a BAD look. All this and much more on TMI for Friday, June 18, 2021 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
Stormé DeLarverie threw the first punch at the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village, New York City on a fateful June night in 1969, and her cry of "WHY DON’T YOU DO SOMETHING!?" should be recalled among the most influential rallying statements of any modern rights movement. Find out not just why June is Pride Month, but portions of the origin story that you may never have heard before.
Worldwide, many are turning away from organized political parties, feeling that these groups have been usurped by elite forces and thus made unresponsive to the needs of the people. But does democracy work well without them? We investigate. Finally, we go over a by-the-numbers summary of who has been arrested for the attack on the US Capitol Building on january 6th, 2021 - some of the numbers and facts here will surprise you. All that and more on TMI for Friday, June 11, 2021 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
Monday, May 31, 2021 marked the 100th anniversary of one of the most horrible events in American History: the Tulsa Race Massacre. If you aren't familiar, please listen in as we recount the history of the Greenwood District of Tulsa, called "Black Wall Street", and how it was destroyed in one of the worst displays of hate in history. If you've ever wondered what upsets your fellow Americans so much when they get told there's no reason to feel oppressed, this will clear that up, fast.
Next, we look into studies that show that how you are named affects how others treat you. More, how others treat you can have a lasting effect on how YOU see yourself! Finally, many of us are just waiting and hoping that Donald Trump's MANY illegal moves will finally put him away for good, but ho likely is that to happen, and more interestingly... what will happen if it does? All this and more on TMI for Friday, June 4, 2021. Listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
A full year after the murder of George Floyd by a sadistic police officer, we look at the state of policing in America by race: has it changed? What has been attempted in the meantime? How far do we have to go?
Then, there have been studies done on how creative thinking works: sure some are more talented than others, but there's a definite skill to it, and that skill can be TAUGHT. Find out! Finally, Oil Giant ExxonMobil was forced by Engine No. 1, an activist hedge fund, to accept several environmentally friendly board members. All that and much more on TMI for Friday, May 28, 2021 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
AI - artificial intelligence - is an amazing tool, yet still in its infancy as far as development goes. You'd think that might give people pause before using it on life-changing decisions like who gets accepted to a college or university, but this (and far more) is precisely what we've discovered it is being used for. We discuss.
Then: Just as soon as Millennials became old enough that it could no longer be denied they should be considered the mainstream voice of power, along comes the term "geriatric millennial" to describe the older portion of the generation, delegitimizing them as being "out of touch" with the rest of their cohort. Aldous, a Gen X-er, takes a stand for his younger folk against those who would hold power away from those who should now have it.
Finally, we discover that there's been a quiet war in the scientific medical community when it comes to the term "airborne" over the past year, based on a mis-reading of research written over 50 years ago! We discuss how that allowed COVID-19 to be far deadlier than it needed to be and how the mainstream scientific community is still only RELUCTANTLY embracing the discovery of the error. All this and more on TMI for Friday, May 21, 2021 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
We all should be getting vaccinated against COVID-19, without a doubt, but what do you do when you have over 99% of your population fully vaccinated and yet are still facing a growing resurgence of COVID-19? That's what he nearly 100,000 people in Seychelles are having to ask themselves. We discuss how this came to be.
Next, we talk about how new studies are showing that the once-indomitable psychological force of PTSD can be tamed with proper therapeutic use of MDMA. Finally, we outline the current situation in the Israel/Palestine conflict. All this and much more on TMI for Friday May 14, 2021 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
Madison, like many cities, struggles with how to solve its homelessness problem. Especially in the brutal Wisconsin winters, we don't want people to freeze to death, but we need to be able to afford the solution. Finland knows a thing or two about Winter AND about homelessness, and their solution: make giving the homeless housing the FIRST thing you do, not third or fourth step down the line. While not cheap, it is far more affordable than any other approach, and actually STOPS homelessness.
Next, we look at the hoops one has to jump through to be a Clerk at the Supreme Court of the United States. These obstacles are making it more difficult for women and minorities to achieve this goal, and thus making the high court Judges and Justices that are often chosen from these clerkships more white and male. Finally, with the 2020 Census fully tabulated, we have the decennial struggle for which states will lose or gain seats in the House - but no one should be losing any, given that there's no Constitutional reason to have the number of Representatives frozen. All that and more on TMI for Friday, May 7th, 2021! Listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
If you knew your worth to your employer, you'd almost certainly not put up with the sliver of that worth that they pay you to work for them. One of the tricks used to keep you from demanding more for the hours of your life you spend laboring is to call MANY jobs "low skill". We examine this falsehood that is meant to make you feel bad for wanting to have your needs met while making the boss rich.
Then, we look at the famous disparity of wealth between Millenials and past generations, and how, when sorted racially, that disparty gets much worse. Finally, we see that cities have found a solution to the housing crisis plaguing them: buy housing up and manage it for those in need! All this and much more on TMI for Friday, May 17, 2021 - listen in for your Cure for the Common Media!
The Minneapolis Police Officer who murdered George Floyd, as captured on live video, (whose name I use as little as possible) faced a historic verdict as all three charges came down as Guilty. We examine just how unprecedented the verdict was and how that directly shows how deeply corrupted and harmful our current system of policing is.
Then, we investigate how, across the USA, BLM protestors were arrested without cause or evidence simply to create the false impression that the protests were unlawful and in need of such inhumane tactics as tear gas and rubber bullets. Then, we talk about Governor Evers' budget for the State of Wisconsin which includes legalizing cannabis and reforming the troubled youth prison system. Finally we touch on the sad correlation between the ending of stay-at-home orders and the sudden return of mass shootings. All this and more on TMI for Friday April 23, 2021 – listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
TODAY IS A BEST OF TMI EPISODE, ORIGINALLY BROADCAST FRIDAY, APRIL 09, 2021:
John Beacham, author of 2020: Socialism and the Coming Great Crisis and podcaster at mass-action.org joins us to discuss Socialism and how a better understanding of it could impact the multitude of ills society faces.
Then, we explore the various reopening plans being implemented by those who call the shots as they get impatient with the restrictions of the pandemic, and examine who will face the consequences of their short attention span. Finally, we go to France, where in an attempt to reduce racism and discrimination, they have banned judging other French-speakers by their accents. All this and more on this BEST OF TMI for Friday April 16, 2021 – listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
John Beacham, author of 2020: Socialism and the Coming Great Crisis and podcaster at mass-action.org joins us to discuss Socialism and how a better understanding of it could impact the multitude of ills society faces.
Then, we explore the various reopening plans being implemented by those who call the shots as they get impatient with the restrictions of the pandemic, and examine who will face the consequences of their short attention span. Finally, we go to France, where in an attempt to reduce racism and discrimination, they have banned judging other French-speakers by their accents. All this and more on TMI for Friday April 9, 2021 – listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
As efforts by the workforce at Amazon's Bessemer, Alabama facility to join the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union ramp up, Amazon has been engaging in dirty tactics to frighten, intimidate and bully their workers out of voting yes. While these tactics are used far too commonly nationwide against unions. Amazon was using their immense power to involve local police, the postal service and more.
Then, we examine how the tumultuous election of 2020 has strained the very structure of democracy here in the United States, and where these weak points can cause future trouble. All this and more on TMI for Friday April 2, 2021 – listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
Once upon a time in Melodia, one would dream of putting together a band, playing somewhere that would get you noticed by someone who would call up someone else to come see you play elsewhere, and suddenly you had a contract with a record label, a musical industry conglomerate who would promise you fame and fortune. Maybe something would come of the radio airplay you gained from it, or the tours you would go on, or your second or third album, but eventually you'd be known from London to Topeka, Tokyo to Sydney, or so the dream went. The labels were happy to sop up as much of that money as their deceptive contracts allowed them to, of course, and if you never got signed, you likely wound up working in an office somewhere while your guitar made friends with the spiders in the attic. Things often didn't end up rosy.
Now, you don't have to rely on the labels! You can make your music at home and stream it on Spotify, create a little YouTube video to go with it and get the ad revenue from the views - an exciting prospect to be sure. That is, until you find out how many thousands or even millions of times your music can be heard/seen without you seeing any notable income at all! We examine the history of the music industry, its transformation into the streaming era, and how many new musicians are feeling swept... downstream! All this and more on TMI for Friday March 26, 2021 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
Weekends, employer-provided health coverage, overtime pay, a ban on child labor - these are all benefits to society as a whole thanks to unions. Faiz Shakir, formerly of the Bernie Sanders campaign, knows all too well about how unions have been falling in membership size and power, and seeks to restore them via the More Perfect Union project. We discuss.
Then, we look seriously at what it is going to take to return to a pre-COVID normal - or if that is even possible. Finally we take on disinformation at its most unlikely source: search engines! That's right, the way Bing or Google serve you up answers also serves you up with topics you LIKE, not necessarily ones that are correct. All this and more on TMI for Friday, March 19, 2021! Listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
Donald Trump promised to "drain the swamp" but conversely filled Washington DC with people loyal not to doing their job the best they can or to a sense of service to the Constitution, but to him and him alone. Finding these people and replacing them has become a major chore for the Biden administration, and we'll discuss how.
Then: recent investigations into the tax filings of corporations, many of whom TALK about wanting to be greener, show that they give plenty of money to foundations, PACs and politicians whose aims are completely the opposite. Finally, we go over how billionaires could all STILL remain billionaires while having enough money put back into society to fund everything we need: infrastructure renewal, universal health care, ALL of it. They just DON'T WANT TO. All this and more on TMI for Friday, March 12, 2021! Listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
Donald Trump is out of office, no matter what Q Anon wants to claim, but his influence over the GOP remains strong... though not strong enough to have it entirely under his thumb. The tension is tearing the once-might GOP apart, and we discuss how.
Then, Neera Tanden, vocal opponent of the GOP and vicious enemy of the progressive movement in the USA is facing consequences for making very few friends outside of centrist President Joe Biden, her nominator. Next, we talk about how the auto industry is finally seeing the end of the line for the internal combustion engine, with companies like Volvo leading the... well, charge forward. Finally, thanks in no small part to how we've been social distancing and masking up to avoid COVID-19, it seems the 2020-2021 flu season was vanquished. All this and more on TMI for Friday, March 5, 2021! Listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
For decades, a fellow from Missouri named Rush Hudson Limbaugh III dragged media standards away from objective reporting of factual events, past the realm of opinion and into the depths of slander and service to the darkest impulses of humanity's prejudices. But how did it all get that way? Joining us is equally-veteran in the radio industry Peter B. Collins, who will outline precisely how Rush came to prominence and even go over his own experience meeting Mr. Limbaugh early on in Rush's career.
Then, we will discuss how the very idea of war is deeply and persistently ingrained into USA's pop culture, and how this makes any push for peace far more difficult than it needs to be. All this and more on TMI for Friday, February 26, 2021! Listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
When Texas suffered catastrophic freezing, cutting power to much of the state, right wing media (followed all-too-predictably by mainstream sources) blamed the wind turbines that had locked up in the cold as being the reason why people were suffering and dying. But wind turbines function in much harsher cold than Texas offered just fine, pointing to a problem in cheaping out on their maintenance, and deeper infrastructural issues in the fossil fuel pumps that failed in much greater abundance there.
Then, we discuss how many cities throughout the USA are, intentionally or not, notably underreporting the impact they are having on the environment, and what needs to happen to correct this. Also, we touch on the overwhelming surveillance apparatus that the most populous city in America has built - is it worth it? Finally, we tell you about new medical techniques that are being developed to use the layer just under your skin to diagnose you with potentially greater accuracy and with far less invasiveness than current practices. All this and more on TMI for Friday, February 19, 2021! Listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
Many of the Capitol Rioters are now using the defense that they were just "following orders". Evidently not being pardoned by Trump made a number of them pretty sore, and they have no problem being very clear that as far as they were concerned, Trump was their leader and they did what they did at his behest.
Then, we discuss a touchy topic for many of us: "Polite White Supremacy", or the tendency for an officer who arrests a white man with a screwdriver on him to call it just that, but on a black man it is often called a "burglary tool". It's not only the police, and we discuss it here.
Finally, meet an astrologer who uses her platform to promote social change and ideology. All that and more on TMI for Friday February 12, 2021 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
Friend of the program Carl Gibson of https://www.classwardaily.com/ joins us to discuss how the Democratic Congress and Presidency have an enormous opportunity to make a real difference... or, history shows, be destroyed. Also, Carl tells us how his recent stock purchase is going.
Next, we compare the horrific daily death totals for COVID-19 aren't making us bat an eye, even as they stack up against and tower over other individual disastrous days in the history of America. We discuss why.
Finally, we review how ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) seems to be operating against orders at virtually every turn since Joe Biden took office, and what effect that is having on innocent lives. All that and more on TMI for Friday, February 5, 2021 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
The list of pardonees and commutees from Donald Trump's last day in office was most interesting for who they included - and who they didn't include! Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick was just one, while not a single member of the rioters at the Capitol Building was included. We discuss.
Then, the Trump State Department leaves a "gift" for Biden's administration by condemning China's treatment of the Uighurs located in northwest China - rightfully so, but the timing is clearly an attempt to make things difficult for the Biden State Department.
Next, we talk about the results of "The 1776 Commission", which were released the last full day Trump was in office, claiming that America's schools had been infiltrated by "anti-American indoctrination". We discuss this nonsense.
Finally, we show how Climate Change, and the warming trends that are at the center of it, more severely affect those in poor and minority neighborhoods. The science is important, but when people lose their lives to the ravages of Climate Change more when they are poor or black? That cannot go ignored. All that and more on TMI for Friday January 22, 2021 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
Native American tribes have been brutalized, subjugated, cheated and mistreated by the Federal Government of the United States since the very beginning. With the nomination of Rep. Deb Haaland (D - NM), an enrolled member of the Laguna Pueblo tribe, to the office of Secretary of the Interior things could be looking up for tribal peoples of USA, and looking dicey for their latest abuser, Big Oil. We discuss.
Then, we explore how it is that agricultural states like Wisconsin used to be reliably Democratic in their voting patterns, but have since found their rural areas turning solidly Republican - and what the Democratic Party has the unique opportunity to do RIGHT NOW to get them back into the fold.
Next, we examine new evidence that shows that the DC National Guard was withheld from protecting the Capitol Building on January 6th from the highest levels, DAYS in advance of the event! Finally, we look at the startling under-counting of COVID-19 deaths in America, and show where in America this phenomenon is at its worst. All that and more more on TMI for Friday, January 29, 2021 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
While people quake in fear of Senator Hawley's lost book deal and President Trump's banishment from many social media platforms, they often cite the First Amendment's guarantee to Freedom of Speech. Ironically, they forget the rest of the First Amendment's guarantees, including the part that protects Twitter, Simon & Schuster, Facebook and even TMItmiTMI.com from having to publish ANYTHING they don't want to be associated with. We'll discuss.
Then, a pod of gorillas in San Diego have become the first great apes (aside, arguably, from humans) to have contacted COVID-19. We'll look into what this means for Silverbacks and us humans.
Finally, former Governor Rick Snyder of Michigan may be one of many facing new charges stemming from the murderous mismanagement of Flint's water in 2014-2015. The residents of Flint, Michigan may finally be seeing justice for the water crisis that put lead in their drinking water. All that and more on TMI for Friday, January 15, 2021! Listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
On today's episode of TMI:
The attack on the Capitol Building, spurred by noneother than Donald Trump himself, was a day of disaster in DC, but had consequences that reached far further. A friend in Connecticut sends in her striking tale of how events that transpired for her that same day, many miles away, were phantoms of the brutal riot happening in Washington.
Next, we examine how a study over how concerned people are about the Climate Crisis was able to serendipitously discover if something as worrisome as the pandemic can crowd out Climate worry. It's a test of the Finite Pool of Worry theory, be sure to listen in!
Then, Google has had a Union form within its ranks, but there's something different and frankly revolutionary about it - find out what.
Finally, we see that 2020, harsh a year as it was, has left us with several gems of insight that we need to carry with us from now on. All that and more on TMI for Friday, January 8th, 2021 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
Continuing a tradition done on TMI first on the 1/1/2011 episode, we are not going to do a Year in Review, but rather we are going to do a decade in review for 2021-2030: checking in with expert opinion on where we can expect to be in 2030 and how we can get there! Why not review the future? We've already BEEN through the past! Next, we have a sincere look at why we're fascinated by grifters; people who play on our trust of our fellow human beings for their own benefit, often at our loss. Despite that, we can't get enough tales of how they operate. Finally, we see that Ted Cruz and so many others have been honing their griftcraft over the upcoming Georgia Senate runoff elections, sending out ads and emails, fundraising while proclaiming they need to protect the Senate... without much (or even ANY) of the finds raised going to the Georgia races. All that and more for TMI's first episode of 2021 - listen in for your Cure for the Common Media!
On this Xmas Day episode, we get into some pointers on how to keep Zoom calls with loved ones over the Holidays from degenerating into the latest QAnon litany of nonsense. Then, I put to rest some unfinished business with some listeners from "across the pond" who wish to insist they know what "Populism" is. I insist that until they hear where it actually came from, they keep the word out of their mouths - this can be solved simply by listening as I go over the origins, history and the story of the solitary quack who was taken far too seriously in Europe when it comes to Populism. Finally, I bid farewell to 2020, and look forward to the next episode being 2021. All that and more for the Xmas present that is TMI for Friday 12/25/2020 - stuff your stocking with the Cure for the Common Media!
On today's TMI: While everyone was watching the Electoral College cast their votes, the Supreme Court of Wisconsin put themselves ONE VOTE AWAY from leading us into chaos. We discuss. Then: even IF the Democratic Party loses either (or both) Senate seats in the upcoming GA runoff election, there's a way that Mitch McConnell could still be Majority Leader... and yet no longer be in the way of voting on key legislation. Next, we talk about the uneven burdens of the pandemic, specifically how the anemic federal stimulus has forced state and local governments to make cuts we are going to be dealing with long after we're all safe from COVID-19. Finally, we see how 126 GOP Representatives could easily be seen as treasonous to the nation (if loyal to the President), and there's a measure to stop them from being seated in January. All that and more on TMI for Friday, December 18, 2020 - listen in for your Cure for the Common Media!
On this Best-of episode of TMI, Attorney General Bill Barr denies Trump's allegations that there was any electoral or voter fraud sufficient to change the outcome of the Presidential Election - we discuss. Then, we talk about what kind of God was compatible with a great scientific mind like Einstein: specifically, the God outlined by Baruch Spinoza. It's not the kind of God you'll find preached about in almost any church in America, and is compatible with critical thinking, so check it out. Finally, we talk about how giving "both sides" equal time and attention has caused journalism to suffer, due to nothing beyond the fact that far too frequently, only one side is discussing facts (and too often, neither are). Don't miss this episode of TMI for Friday, December 11, 2020 - listen in for your Cure for the Common Media!
On today's TMI, Attorney General Bill Barr denies Trump's allegations that there was any electoral or voter fraud sufficient to change the outcome of the Presidential Election - we discuss. Then, we talk about what kind of God was compatible with a great scientific mind like Einstein: specifically, the God outlined by Baruch Spinoza. It's not the kind of God you'll find preached about in almost any church in America, and is compatible with critical thinking, so check it out. Finally, we talk about how giving "both sides" equal time and attention has caused journalism to suffer, due to nothing beyond the fact that far too frequently, only one side is discussing facts (and too often, neither are). Don't miss this episode of TMI for Friday, December 4, 2020 - listen in for your Cure for the Common Media!
On TMI's most in-depth single interview to date, we discuss Thomas Frank's latest book, "The People, No - A Brief History of Anti-Populism", a revealing look at how unjustly vilified the notion has become of the people standing up and banding together to see that their needs are addressed as much as the needs of the elites are. Thomas and I go deep into the subject, exploring the fascinating connection between the nascent People's Party of the late 1800's to the Bernie Sanders movement, as well as the forces that aligned against BOTH. You don't want to miss a minute of the episode of TMI for Friday, November 27, 2020, so listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
With the 2020 election in the rear-view mirror, it was alarming to see minorities of various kinds being blamed for how close it got in many states between Trump and Biden, as well as for the Senate losses that had been predicted to go the other way. We dissect this, and show just how distorted this kind of blame is, and where it actually belongs.
Then, I go over a new COVID-19 hotline for the city of Madison, one that helps people navigate the financial difficulties the pandemic has wrought. Next, we discuss an alarming symptom of the pandemic that is only now being properly studied: cognitive impairment or "brain fog". Finally, we go over just how tough a fight we have ahead of us, as Joe Biden's history shows him to be ill-equipped to handle this moment in history. That means we'll have to be prepared to make as many end-runs around him and his administration as we can to get things done. All this and more on TMI for Friday, November 20, 2020 - listen in for your Cure for the Common Media!
On this episode of TMI, friend of the program Steve Horn joins us to discuss what President-elect Joe Biden's history with climate related issues, and what to watch for as we focus on forcing his hand to help the planet. Then, we discuss how studies are showing that single doses of Psilocybin ("shrooms") have an immediate and last effect on changing the brains of people who suffer from depression. Finally, we find Trump painted into a corner electorally, which means his only options left to retain power are pretty ugly. All that and more on TMI for Friday, November 13th 2020 - listen in for your Cure for the Common Media!
On today's episode, you'll get the wrap-up of the 11/03/2020 election as we know it by time of broadcast. Then, we go over how there are indications that versions of prehistoric humanity (Sapiens and Neanderthal) were at war with each other. Finally, in a rare TMI treat, we go over some tunes you will hear on the broadcast, and what they mean to your humble host. All this and more on TMI for Friday, November 06, 2020! Tune in for your Cure for the Common Media!
We go over the tremendous early voting that's occurred in 2020, unprecedented in the history of the United States, and the possible ramifications of it. Then, we talk about how Chileans have managed to not only force a vote on whether or not to completely scrap and remake their nation's Constitution, but the results of that vote.
We go over the tremendous early voting that's occurred in 2020, unprecedented in the history of the United States, and the possible ramifications of it. Then, we talk aboput how Chileans have managed to not only force a vote on whether or not to completely scrap and remake their nation's Constitution, but the results of that vote.
Next, we take a look at how frozen methane in the Arctic Ocean is reaching that tipping point, thawing and unleashing tremendous greenhouse gas effects into the planet's atmosphere. Finally, we talk about human cognitive maps, or specifically HOW the brain maps out memories, time and space.
All this and more on TMI for Friday October 30, 2020! Listen in for your Cure for the Common Media!
On this episode of TMI:
Friend of the program Carl Gibson has a new piece out at the Independent called "The most democratic thing Joe Biden could do is pack the courts" - he joins us to discuss why this vilified idea is a good one.
Then, we talk about how the very same words often seem to have two completely different meanings depending on your political viewpoint - could Artificial Intelligence allow computers to help undo this language gridlock?
Finally, we break down the antitrust case being brought down on Google, and examine how other online giants like Amazon, Facebook and others may not be far behind. All this and more on TMI's special Saturday edition for October 24, 2020 - listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!
On this episode of TMI:
Homelessness plagues America, and Madison, Wisconsin is no exception to the issue. Candidates and office-holders bemoan the problem, but a true SOLUTION is being put forward by Occupy Madison. Brenda Konkel joins us to share what OM's plans are for their SECOND Tiny Home village, an improvement over their already successful FIRST one - listen in, and find out what it means to take action!
Then - it's known that the longer money stays within a community, the better that community does financially. While a dollar spent in the white-owned economy stays active for weeks, a dollar spent in the black community leaves within just six hours. Enter Killer Mike and his backers, creating Greenwood Bank, a black-owned institution that will help give black and latinx people an even playing field in the economy.
Finally, we hear about how important "swing states" are in the Presidential election, but we don't often explore how polluted with misinformation these places can be. We explore this, and much more on TMI for Friday, October 16, 2020! Listen in for your Cure for the Common Media!
Noticed initially a few months back, President Trump's support among one of the GOP's most staunch base, white people over 60, seems to be declining. We examine what this might mean for November 3rd.
Then, we talk about what has been happening among the movie industry this year, something we've been told has been on the decline now for years. Is the era of GOING to the movies over? We discuss.
Finally, yours truly has an OpEd published on Common Dreams this week, all about recognizing the patterns of history in this election enough to step outside, and with luck, change them. We go through that piece, making sure to highlight what's important. All this and MORE on TMI with Aldous Tyler for Friday, October 9th, 2020, airing at 5pm Central on WSUM 91.7 FM in Madison, WI or via any streaming option in the comments below! Tune in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media.
The University of Wisconsin - Madison's own engineers pioneered the badger shield and badger shield plus early on in the pandemic to help increase the safety of essential workers, and now they've come up with a way to make all face masks much more efficient in the fight against COVID-19. Check it out!
Then, we discuss the voter purge effort that sits in front of Wisconsin's notoriously conservative Supreme Court, before diving into the presidential debate that Trump used as a platform to issue orders to the Proud Boys.
Finally, nuclear fusion, an energy technology that's always been decades in the future may finally be within our grasp! All this and more on TMI for Friday, October 2, 2020 - listen in for your Cure for the Common Media!
Friend of TMI Carl Gibson joins us to discuss his piece at Free Chicken and Beer, entitled "Civil War II is Already Underway", and how we need to fight to preserve the Union.
Then, we cover Governor Evers' latest COVID-19 Emergency Order, and why ti is we can't seem to just cooperate to flatten the curve.
Finally, we discuss a piece from wargame designer (and military history buff) Mike Selinker that defines four possible outcomes of November's Presidential election, and he agrees with Carl Gibson: it looks like civil war to him. All this and more on this episode of TMI for Friday, September 25th, 2020. Listen in for your Cure for the Common Media!
Former Facebook data scientist Sophie Zhang revealed activity across the world that, for her over two years with the company, Facebook gave her complete control and responsibility over, making her pick and choose which sabotaging political communications were to be blocked, and which allowed, causing her to conclude "I have blood on my hands." We look deep into the geopolitical power that the platform is neglecting to use wisely.
Then, you've heard how birds and other animals migrate because of climate, but what about people? We look into how the current rise of ocean levels, persistence of horrific wildfires and battering by terrible storms will be shaping where people choose to live - if they CAN choose to. All this and more on TMI for Friday September 18th, 2020 - listen in for your Cure for the Common Media!
When you think of the annual motorcycle rally in Sturgis, SD, you don't usually make connections to the campus of UW Madison - but 2020 being what it is, there's an unfortunate resemblance this time. We'll go over that.
Then, there have been dozens of scientific journals that have disappeared in the last few years, causing potential research gaps of alarming proportions.
Finally, we have a selection of the recorded conversations Bob Woodward had with President Trump - recorded with Trump's permission! - for Woodward's book "Rage", and they are damning. If you wanted to hear it for yourself, this is your chance! All this and more on TMI for Friday September 11th, 2020! Listen in for your Cure for the Common Media!
Looking forward to November 3rd, we are so used to thinking about Election Night as this huge decisive moment - but what if it wasn't? We explore how, this year, things are almost certainly going to look very different, and the politicization of the pandemic will likely make the electoral map of November 3rd look very misleading - and much "redder" - than the final outcome when all mail in ballots are counted.
Then, we examine the timeline for Social Security under the current Executive Order, which robs the fund of the tax base that sustains it. The services many people you know depend on are in much more rapid jeopardy than you might think.
We give due recognition to a woman who changed the face of war, and occasionally the face of the weather forecast - but you've probably never heard of her.
Finally, we take a look NOT the solar year we call 2020, but the "cosmic year" - or how long it takes us to orbit around the center of our galaxy, and how things weren't all that different the last time we were in this position, galactically. All this and MORE on this episode of TMI for Friday, September 4th, 2020 - get your dose of the Cure for the Common Media!
By now, the world has heard about the shooting of Jacob Blake seven times in the back, but of course, the facts surrounding it have already been spun by people trying to justify the murderous actions of the Kenosha officer and the 17 year old vigilante just days later. To combat that, we go through a complete timeline of the actual facts on hand, so be sure to listen in so you don't get sucked into a false narrative.
Then, almost as if an illustration of last episode's "Mama Ain't Happy" segment, Hurricane Laura came sweeping in over western Louisiana and up into Arkansas. We recount what happened and how truly historic this storm was, the strongest to hit Louisiana in over a century and a half!
Finally, we go over a new NPR/Ipsos poll and challenge the common media spin on it, that somehow it shows that the George Floyd protests have been ineffective. Reading the actual data makes it clear that this is far from the truth! All this and more on TMI for Friday, August 28, 2020, broadcast at 5pm on WSUM 91.7FM in Madison, and streamed simultaneously via wsum.org - but you can here it here, now! Listen in:
Twelve years ago, we were jubilantly celebrating the Democratic Party’s nomination of Barack Obama for the office of President of the United States. What was widely ignored was the red flag that had already popped up, warning that his administration wasn’t going to be the progressive dream we’d been led to believe: Joe Biden. By choosing the Senator from Delaware as his VP, we could have seen that it was all headed sharply to the right. Now, with Joe Biden in his late 70’s and leading the Democratic Presidential ticket, we look for what the future might entail, and… we have Kamala Harris, a notoriously centrist Attorney General being placed next in line for the top office. We discuss THIS red flag, and what it might mean for the future.
Then, we discuss how the horrors of the climate crisis aren’t even getting major national coverage, as Iowa suffers hurricane-strength winds, the Atlantic Hurricane season is on record pace and California has its strongest tornado in history – MADE OF FIRE. Mama Nature ain’t happy, and there soon won’t be ANYBODY happy.
Finally, we talk about how the tremendous financial burden all of this climate-crisis-induced destruction is being put on the doorstep of the worst culprits: Big Oil. All this and more on TMI for Friday, August 21st, 2020, airing 5pm Central on 91.7FM WSUM in Madison, and streamng at wsum.org EVERYWHERE. Get your dose of the Cure for the Common Media.
On this week's TMI with Aldous Tyler:
Fossil fuel giant Chevron has found an Orwellian way to connect sunshine with drilling fracking wells - so much so, that I'm dubbing them "OrWells". Friend of the show Steve Horn returns to fill in the maddening details on that story as well as how a California official got in trouble for wanting to "block out the Sun" and finally how prisoner firefighters might get their due for their unrewarding work to keep us safe, all stories Steve broke on The Real News Network in the past week!
Then, we discuss how barely over half of the potential voters who are impoverished and low-wage came out to vote in 2016, and how this bloc of voters can easily swing the tide of the all-important Senate battle in November.
Finally, we give credit where due to a wonderful victory, congratulating Cori Bush on defeating an incumbent whose family occupied the Congressional seat for over 50 years. All that and more was on TMI for Friday, August 14th, which aired 5PM Central on WSUM 91.7 FM in Madison! Listen in and lock on to the Cure for the Common Media.
For those of you looking to just catch the interview of Preston Scott Smith of the March to Replace Biden, here it is, among with a little intro and outro music. Enjoy!
If you feel that no label has quite fit how you feel about your gender or sexual identity, we run through over 30 that are custom made BY and FOR the people they describe. Listen and feel reconnected to humanity.
Then we talk to Preston Scott Smith of the March Against Biden, an event happening in over 20 locations tomorrow, August 8th and again a week later on August 15th, as well as virtual events. It’s not a pro-Trump event AT ALL – it BEGS the DNC to do something different in order to actually DEFEAT Trump. Check out the interview!
Finally, we talk about how Amnesty International has dinged a nation very familiar to you with well over 100 human rights violations in a span of under two weeks, and how that adds to the woes being faced at getting an important segment of the vote ready for November.
All that and more from TMI for Friday, August 7, 2020! Catch it now!
Trump and the GOP are playing us AGAIN. By attacking vote-by-mail as being highly prone to fraud by voters (it's not, BTW), he's tricked the establishment Dems into a full throated defense of it. Why is that a problem? Because voting by mail DOES have a major flaw, but IN TRUMP'S FAVOR: many, and I mean MANY places have managed to put regulations and shady tricks in place to cause MILLIONS of mailed votes to be discarded by those we've trusted to COUNT them. And whose votes are the most likely to be discarded? College students, black people and low-income city folk... in other words, demographics the GOP does very poorly with.
But don't take my word for it. Greg Palast has it all laid out in his book, "How Trump Stole 2020”. Don't be fooled into JUST voting by mail: be sure to steal your vote BACK.
Also in the episode: figures don't lie, but liars do figure, and that's never been more true than with the current pandemic. Listen in on how to properly understand the numbers, and how to tell when someone's abusing them to distort reality.
Finally, we talk about the federal response to Portland's BLM/George Floyd protest, and how those aren't ACTUALLY all FEDERAL agents bring used against the protestors.
Don't miss this episode of TMI, fresh from its return to WSUM!
As the polls go, it looks more and more likely that there's no way Trump could possibly win the next election. However, that might not matter because, with a combination of tricks used in 2016 and brand new avenues that have been opened up since, Trump has already stolen the 2020 election. But don't lose hope! Joining us this episode is Greg Palast, author of "How Trump Stole 2020", and he's not only here to outline how the crime was committed, but how we can steal it back. You'd better listen in (and should probably get the book), if the integrity of your vote means anything to you at all.
Tonight's episode has three topics for your enjoyment: first up, we expose something you know in a way you've never thought about it before; then at 10:00, we talk about billionaire cannibals; finally at 21:30, we discuss how those of us who fight for equality might help the cause, by lowering resistance to the idea. Listen in!
The George Floyd protests have allowed Black Lives Matter to make tremendous strides forward in their goal of social justice for black people, and it seemed that with each step forward, the media was all too ready to talk about the latest window broken, statue toppled or fire set in protest. What has barely been touched upon are the over 300 instances of retaliation suffered by BLM protestors and others since May 30 - but that stops now. Carl Gibson posted his investigative piece on precisely that to https://carlgibson.substack.com/ this week and he joins us to discuss what's behind the backlash to this historic movement. Listen in!
This episode of TMI is devoted to a man I first met on Facebook over seven years ago. Co-chair and 2016 Presidential Candidate of the Socialist Party USA, he was a tireless champion of the people, and a seemingly endless resource for modern Socialism. Cancer took him just over a week ago. I felt compelled to pay tribute to a man who, though I never met in person, was the kind of person where that barely affected how much he was able to connect with you. Farewell, Emidio "Mimi" Soltysik. Rest in Peace. Rest in Power.
If you find the protests going on confusing, irritating or frightening, you need to listen to this week's episode. We go through exactly what is at the core of it all, and hopefully help you get a handle on the changing society we live in. At the very least, this should help you understand what is meant by "Black Lives Matter".
Making a triumphant return to TMI is friend of the program Steve Horn! We discuss some shady fracking deals California Governor Gavin Newsom has been involved with, why you should always watch what the Trump Administration is trying to pull off when Bill Cooper's name is attached, and why the wildfires in Arizona DON'T make COVID-19 the least of their worries! All that and more, so take a listen!
Having returned to the air after a five year hiatus left me feeling like I needed to catch up on things - and there's no one better to help with that than Peter B. Collins! He joins us for this extra-helping of TMI where we review what's happened in the media, the climate, the field of presidential politics and leading us into the current worldwide protests for Black Lives Matter. It's an HOUR of great insights and news you might have missed, so don't miss THIS! Listen in, and be sure to follow Peter B. Collins on his own podcast as well!
With the protests in honor of the life taken from George Floyd by Minneapolis Police spawning some destruction and violence, Donald Trump knew exactly who to blame for the damage: Antifa! Yours truly wanted to hear from the other side, but the problem is, Antifa isn't an actual organization.... but then I found him! The very man who would know, one "Andy" Antifa of the Facebook page AntiFa. Don't miss our discussion of what antifa actually is.
We were joined by John Fugelsang, known far and wide as a comedic talent and presenter via the Stephanie Miller Show, the Bill Press Show as well as his own web-series Caffeinated on PoliPop! and now his weekly "So That Happened" program on Current TV, as well as his upcoming daily program on that same network. Here, John and I click and converse about religion, spirituality, sexuality, politics and the common underlying threads between them all. Prompting him to ask "Is your show always this deep?", this truly is a remarkable exchange - listen in!